H50 fic: The Hard Light of an Angry Sun
Title: The Hard Light of an Angry Sun
Pairing/Characters: Steve/Wo Fat
Genre: AU
Word Count: 7,007
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/Spoilers: Mild spoilers for S2.22; unusual behavior for enemies; sex magic
Disclaimer: Still don't own them; still ain't getting rich
Beta: The incomparable siluria. As ever, my thanks are with you
Summary: The sky is falling; it must be, or Steve would never find himself in this position
Author’s Notes: This was written for my first ever Reverse Bang at h50_reversebang, and is based on galadriel34's beautiful artwork, which can be found here. Thanks for inspiring me, Gala!
These teasers were also made by her:
NB: this fic can also be read here at AO3
It had been… well, not exactly what you'd call an ordinary day, but the daylight had been normal, at least for the time of day it was when the plane crashed… and then suddenly, it wasn't.
Steve McGarrett had subdued Wo Fat, handcuffed the man to his own wrist, and watched a helicopter full of Yakuza land. It appeared they were trying to kill not only him but Wo Fat as well. He and his prisoner had just found refuge from them behind a broken vehicle when it happened.
The sky gradually darkened - not so slowly as a normal sunset, but not as fast as the sun going behind a cloud - and then it was as if they had suddenly been transported into another realm. The sky was a deep midnight blue, and stars winked into being all around, casting an eerie light over the dim landscape.
Steve and Wo Fat frowned at each other, gazing around them and at the sky. The stars began to flicker oddly, some of them growing in size and luminosity.
"What the…?" Steve muttered, checking Wo Fat's face once more. He looked as stunned as Steve felt, the whites of his eyes reflecting the burning objects from space that appeared to be almost hovering some miles above them.
There was the sound of muffled talking - something in another language that sounded as puzzled as Steve was beginning to feel - and part of the oddness became clear to him: he couldn't hear any animals.
No birdlife, no insects. Nothing.
One of the stars flared abruptly, doubling in size, and as Steve and Wo Fat shielded their eyes from its brightness, trying to see what was happening through their fingers, several other stars did the same thing, and then, almost as if choreographed, all of these brighter lights began falling.
"What are those? Falling stars?" Wo Fat asked as they stayed crouched where they were.
Steve, all too aware of the waiting Yakuza beyond the vehicle hiding them, shook his head. "I don't think so. They're too-"
His words were cut off by a sudden high-pitched sizzling sound and then an explosion on the other side of their hiding place. Screams echoed into the night as the stars continued to fall, and then the noises cut off oddly. None of the burning objects had fallen close to Steve and Wo Fat, but it was clear the Yakuza had not been so lucky.
"Come on!" Steve urged, tugging Wo Fat behind him.
Above them, more stars flared, and as Steve and Wo Fat hurried over the charred ground away from the vehicle, another 'star' scissored into the metal, causing it to spit white-hot sparks in all directions.
"McGarrett!" Wo Fat roared, "You have to uncuff me!"
But Steve dragged him on, moving them relentlessly out of harm's way of yet another explosion behind them. A moaning sound to his left slowed Steve, and he turned, peering through the smoke and sparks. He could see two bodies - they both looked lifeless, one was charred beyond recognition - and a huddled-over third person a couple of feet away.
"Are you-" he started to ask as the body uncurled from its almost-fetal position and collapsed back beside him. Blood and charcoal intermingled across the man's whole body, and both arms were gone, his thick, blackened blood dribbling into the dirt. What was left of the man's eyes were open and staring. There was no point finishing the question.
None of the events fit in with any weapons known to Steve, and he turned shocked eyes back to Wo Fat. His nemesis looked as stunned as Steve felt, and they gazed speechlessly at one another for a few moments as flames and smoke swirled around them.
Another flare of light drew Steve's eyes, surprising him into motion. Nodding meaningfully at Wo Fat, he drew out the handcuff key. "When this is over, you're still my prisoner."
Wo Fat met his eye, lowering his head fractionally as if to acknowledge that fact, and waited while Steve unlocked the cuffs. Rubbing his wrist, he offered Steve a tight smile. "Thank you."
As he finished the word, his eyes widened and he grabbed for Steve, pulling him towards his own body. Steve instinctively began to fight the motion, but searing heat and the high sizzling sound of whatever the things in the sky were made him realize at the last moment that Wo Fat was trying to save him from the same fate the Yakuza had suffered.
He blacked out, his last memory the reality of Wo Fat's arms encircling him as he was dragged away from the scorching intensity of the unknown incendiary device.
~//~
Consciousness returned slowly, and with it an insistent spiral of pain at Steve's back. He was on his stomach, head turned to one side, and he blinked, trying to focus on something white he could see in the darkness. Buzzing in his ears started to clear and Steve could hear the sound of a cloth being squeezed in water behind him.
Attempting to turn over, he stopped when a hand touched his shoulder, keeping him where he was.
"Don't move. Your back is burned and you won't be able to lie on it yet." Wo Fat's voice was matter-of-fact, and when Steve relaxed back into whatever he was laid on, he lifted the hand he'd kept Steve in place with.
Steve turned his head to focus on Wo Fat, but he was looking at what he was doing, carefully lifting what looked to be wet cloth from Steve's lower back - Steve wincing as bits of it stuck to the wound - and dropped it into a bowl beside him. As Steve tried to remember what had happened to put him in this position, Wo Fat pulled the cloth out of the water again, squeezing it gently and then spreading it out and gingerly lowering it back where it had been on Steve's back. The coolness was mercifully soothing.
"How bad is it?" Steve rasped.
"I've seen worse," Wo Fat said, turning his dark eyes to gaze thoughtfully at Steve's face. "If I hadn't pulled you away when the… thing… exploded, you might not have made it this far."
It came back with a rush as Wo Fat's words: the weird bombs - if that's what they were - and the flashing explosions that had taken the lives of the Yakuza members trying to kill them. "Where… where did they come from?"
Wo Fat shook his head. "From above. I managed to drag you away, half-carrying you until we found this hut. It was deserted, but there is food, bedding, water. Whoever was here has left. Those… the explosions have stopped."
"Is it night-time now?" Steve asked, searching with his eyes for a window or door.
"It stayed dark," Wo Fat replied. "It can't be more than 4pm. You should drink some water." He moved away, coming back a few moments later with a cup that he held in front of Steve. "Can you lift your upper body?"
Steve pushed with his elbows, raising himself with difficulty as pain lanced through him. Gritting his teeth, he held still a moment, taking a deep breath and then nodding.
Wo Fat held the cup to his lips, tipping the cup gently as Steve gratefully swallowed some of the tepid water.
When he had drunk as much as he could manage, Wo Fat put down the cup, aiding Steve to return to lying again. Steve felt weak, the pain throbbing heatedly at his kidneys and up his spine, despite the damp cloth Wo Fat had laid over the injury.
"I need to change this frequently," Wo Fat told him, "Or it will stick to the wound. Are you ready?"
Steve nodded carefully, watching Wo Fat sideways and gritting his teeth in preparation as the man repeated the earlier procedure.
"With luck the scarring will be minimal since I found water quickly, but it's deep in a couple of places, so… there are no guarantees."
Steve frowned, puzzled by Wo Fat taking care of his wounds and staying with him. "Why are you doing this?"
Wo Fat looked at him impassively for a few seconds before he spoke. "We don't know what's out there. We may need each other to survive."
"Where's my cell? We should try to contact my team; find out what happened."
Wo Fat shook his head, but turned to reach behind him, and then handed Steve his phone. It was glowing, but the 'no service' logo was flashing. Steve shifted awkwardly and tapped different things on the phone for a while, but it was clear they were cut off; there would be no contacting the rest of the Five-0 team, or anyone else.
"Do you know what it is? Those explosions were like nothing I've ever seen."
Wo Fat hesitated before answering, his expression hard to read. "I saw something like it once before, but…"
"But what?" Steve shifted uncomfortably as the cloth on his back warmed and the pain deepened.
"It was smaller and there were fewer of them. They are stars that have fallen."
Steve's mouth opened slightly as he tried to process the words and the seriousness in Wo Fat's eyes. "You don't actually believe... do you?"
"I have no other explanation."
Steve glanced around the dimly lit room again, unable to discern windows or anything to see what the sky looked like now. "That… it can't be true."
"The daytime is gone, Commander, and we are here in the night. The sky is black and we are miles from proper civilization. What else can you suggest?"
Steve had no answer for that.
~//~
By the end of what should have been the second day, Steve was feeling a little less pain due to Wo Fat's regular ministrations of cool wet cloths, although he still wasn't capable of going far - had there been anywhere to go. Wo Fat had found both food supplies - albeit of the basic rice and spices variety - and wood to burn to cook it, along with a cask of clean water, and had prepared meals for them that had turned out to be surprisingly edible.
Steve had slept intermittently through the hours they were there, and as the only bed in the hut was where he was being cared for by Wo Fat, it seemed reasonable that he should offer to share it when Wo Fat also needed rest. It was easily wide enough for two, and while Steve felt wary of Wo Fat's proximity, he was unable to move far without the burning sensation in his back increasing, and was unable to sit upright for long enough to allow the other man a turn in the bed by himself.
At one wakening, Steve - unable to sleep other than on his stomach so far - turned his head to look at Wo Fat's back in the dark, barely able to make out his form in the dimness. It felt odd to be putting so much faith in his sworn enemy, but Steve had no choice.
But what was most odd was the fact that Wo Fat was doing this: caring for Steve. In his place, Steve wasn't sure he would be capable of the same behavior.
Wo Fat shifted as Steve gazed in his direction, rolling onto his back and exposing his smooth chest to Steve's sight. His eyes had adjusted remarkably well to the lack of light - clearly it wasn't pitch dark or he'd have seen little - and the slight sheen of sweat that covered Wo Fat's torso indicated that despite the darkness, the warmth associated with the islands was not dissimilar to its usual level.
Wo Fat shifted again, turning his face in Steve's direction so that they were breathing the same air. Steve's heart thudded in his ears at the closeness, and he attempted to move away, but a sudden twinge as he did so forced a whistle of breath from him and he closed his eyes tight, staying where he was to ride out the pain.
When he could draw breath evenly again, he opened his eyes once more, only to find Wo Fat staring at him from the same too-close position he'd been in prior to Steve's movement.
"Are you in pain?" Wo Fat whispered, the blackness of his eyes appearing to search Steve's. His voice was low and silky, sending unusual ripples through Steve's senses. "I should look at your back again."
"It's… it's not necessary," Steve got out with difficulty. His eyes felt locked where they were, a reaction he had not expected with this man. A shiver ran though him as he stared, unable to look away.
"You're cold?" Wo Fat asked, and to Steve's surprise, he moved nearer, gently lifting the thin blanket that covered Steve to his waist, and placing it over both of them.
Steve hissed as it touched his blistering skin, but it didn't hurt as much as he had expected.
"Shock will do that, they say. Your back will take some time to heal, and the body will do what it can to compensate. It may not pay attention to the elements, and we must keep your temperature steady.
"How do you know so much about burns?" Steve asked, his heart continuing to thump.
Wo Fat didn't answer; his smile enigmatic. "You need sleep. I'll stay close so you won't be cold." He pressed against Steve's nearest side, resting his hand low on Steve's hip below the burn and tipping his head forward so that it just touched Steve's shoulder.
Somehow, the contact was comforting, and Steve closed his eyes gratefully.
~//~
When next he woke, Wo Fat was across the room, stirring something in a pot on the wood-stove.
Steve could feel the heat of his back, but as he shifted slightly he could tell that Wo Fat had changed the cloth covering him. While previously it had been a just-damp material covered by the thin blanket, now it was wetter and cooler against what was left of the outer layers of skin.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked, his voice rough.
Wo Fat turned, a smile on his face that seemed different from any smile he'd offered Steve before. "About four hours. I changed the dressing on your back about an hour ago. It's blistering, but it doesn't look as though it's gone too deep. You were lucky."
Steve tried to lift his body up, but the feeling was like the sting of a severe sunburn and he gave up the attempt, instead propping his head up on his folded arms. "It would have been worse if you hadn't helped. You found water quickly enough to minimize it. Thank you." It was strange to be thanking Wo Fat, but Steve knew he owed the man his life - not just for treating the burn, but for getting him away from the explosions when he was helpless to save himself.
Wo Fat looked at him for a quiet moment in the light cast from the wood-stove and the one smoky candle near the bed, and then turned back to the pot. Within minutes he brought Steve a bowl of rice, spiced with something Steve couldn't recognize, and while he would have liked to sit up to eat, surprised at his body's weakness, he felt unable to. Wo Fat placed the bowl in front of him and offered him a spoon. Steve thanked him in low tones and began awkwardly scooping the food into his mouth. At least it was an improvement on the previous meals where Wo Fat had spoon-fed him.
Wo Fat filled a second bowl for himself and sat down in the one rickety chair, eating silently. Steve was aware of the man's eyes on him, though neither of them spoke and he didn't look in Wo Fat's direction while he cleaned the bowl of every grain.
Afterward, Wo Fat took the bowls away and brought Steve a mug of cool water. Gratefully, Steve gulped the contents down while he watched Wo Fat clean up the remains of the meal and tidy away their bowls and utensils.
"Do you know where we are?" Steve asked after a while.
"We are in a village, although we are the only ones here, but I don't know its name or where we are precisely. When you are able to walk, we will try to make our way to the sea. Perhaps we can find others there or a boat. We may be able to make our way to Oahu."
Steve nodded in agreement. It seemed like a sound plan. Who or what they would find, he couldn't begin to speculate, but they couldn't be the only survivors. What would happen when they found whatever civilization that remained would have to stay an unknown at this point; he needed Wo Fat's help right now, and could only be thankful he'd been offered it.
~//~
The following 'night' was much like the last, with Wo Fat offering Steve the simple comfort of another's warmth to keep his own temperature steady, and Steve steadfastly refused to consider how much he needed not just the warmth but the touch itself. He also felt a similar stirring of something deeper, but he ignored that as best he could, almost savoring the slices of pain that he felt at each movement he made.
The next morning, he finally managed to sit up, although he could tell it would be some time before he could wear more than a light covering over the burned skin.
And now it became evident that he had twisted an ankle somehow in the explosion; it hadn't been obvious before when he was lying down. Even with shifting awkwardly to relieve himself into the bucket Wo Fat would leave by the side of the bed when he needed it, Steve hadn't noticed more than a mild discomfort in the ankle. It would make walking any distance difficult for a couple of days, and that and being unable to cover his back for any length of time held him back from wanting to be on the move.
Wo Fat had shaken his head when Steve tried to suggest he would be capable of the journey in a day or two. "Your ankle should have more rest than another day. And I want to be sure your back is not infected before we move. Here, I have basic supplies to tend it; I can't say what is out there. We need to take as much with us - including food - as we can. We will wait three more nights."
Steve tried to protest, but there was no shifting Wo Fat. Much as he hated the fact, he knew he had to do what the man said for the moment.
~//~
Waking up slowly, Steve realized he was lying on his side rather than his stomach. Wo Fat was facing away from him and Steve was spooning him. The surprise of it made him forget his burned back, and he drew away, hissing as still fragile skin scraped against the sheets.
Wo Fat turned over, his eyes widening in the dim light. "Are you okay?"
Steve rolled back to his stomach, gritting his teeth against the pain. "I'll be fine. I was… I must have turned in my sleep."
Sitting up, Wo Fat reached to light the candle beside the bed. "Let me see. I should make sure you haven't broken the skin." He got up to cross the room, coming back with a bowl of water. Placing the bowl on the table, he soaked the rag he'd cleaned earlier and squeezed out the excess water.
Closing his eyes, Steve prepared for the touch of the cloth. He listened as Wo Fat drew nearer, and took a breath as the coolness of the cloth muted the pain. Wo Fat seemed to treat him more gently than previously - not that he'd been rough - and Steve opened his eyes, feeling something different in the air, and not sure what to expect.
Wo Fat was studying what he was doing intently, and like he was aware of Steve's scrutiny, his eyes turned abruptly to meet Steve's. His hands stilled and he blinked, his mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.
To Steve's own astonishment, he found his skin heating, and his breath caught. He had no idea where this was coming from, but he couldn't pull his focus from the shape of Wo Fat's mouth - something he'd never considered before.
It could have been a few seconds or a few minutes - Steve couldn't have said which - that they looked at each other, and then, without speaking, Steve rolled back to his side as Wo Fat replaced the wet cloth in the bowl of water. He lay back down on the bed, easing closer to Steve than they'd been before, and reached a hand to stroke gently along Steve's jaw.
Desire rippled through Steve's body at the touch, and he leaned in, meeting Wo Fat's lips with his own. All thought left Steve's head at the touch, and the discomfort in his back seemed immaterial as Wo Fat's hand curved around Steve's neck. Steve's fingers were suddenly in Wo Fat's silky hair, but he had no memory of moving them there; the kiss drew all his concentration.
Aware that he was murmuring softly, Steve pulled back enough to draw air, but he felt delirious, unable to do anything but return to the kiss, deepening the motion and winding his arms around Wo Fat until they were pressed together, mindless of anything but the need to connect.
Steve pushed Wo Fat until the man lay on his back, rising over him to press needy kisses over his smooth chest as Wo Fat's fingers stroked through his hair. Heat radiated from Wo Fat's body, and as Steve lifted up to hands and knees, he drew in a shaky breath, vaguely wondering what he was doing but unable to stop himself. Rapidly unbuttoning Wo Fat's trousers, he couldn't even offer surprise at Wo Fat's eagerness to shed the remainder of his clothing, nor could he do anything but drag his own pants out of the way so that they could press their fully naked bodies together.
Rubbing his eager flesh against the hardness below him, Steve kissed Wo Fat roughly - it was all teeth and tongues - and then harsh breathing panted into one another's skin between the almost violent clashes of their mouths. Steve rocked faster, harder, feeling the building pressure of an almost blinding need; all the while he clutched at Wo Fat wherever his hands could find purchase.
For his part, Wo Fat bucked up into him, his only concession to Steve's injuries being to grip his ass with one hand and around Steve's neck with the other.
Steve spared a vague thought to what they must have looked like, had anyone been watching, but it didn't stop him from his purpose. Between the continued assault of their mouths on each other and the low groans of desire, the rhythm between them spiked into pleasure beyond all expectation, and Steve's vision blurred as he came hard. He rocked a last few times, aware that their orgasms had been almost completely simultaneous, and let out a low whoosh of sound as he collapsed down onto the spent man under him.
~//~
When Steve woke up from a sleep he hadn't remembered falling into, he was back on his stomach, and Wo Fat was across the room, staring out at the night sky through the open door. Pausing to remember what had transpired earlier and to note his current state, Steve realized that the pain from his back seemed much better, and he was damp but not as sticky as he might have expected after their mutual release pressed so closely together. Wo Fat must have wiped him clean while he slept, though he had to wonder at it not waking him.
"Hey," he said, his voice rough.
Wo Fat turned at the sound and offered a half-smile in Steve's direction. There was a wary look in his eyes, despite the smile, like the intimacy between them hadn't changed anything. "You needed the sleep."
Steve narrowed his eyes, shifting to sit upright and carefully testing the edge of his burn with his fingertips. To his surprise, it seemed nowhere near as blistered as he'd remembered; almost like something magical had half-healed it already.
"Did you do this?" Steve asked, letting his fingers test more skin. It too felt like new skin - tender and young, but healed.
"No," Wo Fat shook his head and stood up, moving back to the chair by the bed and sitting carefully in it as Steve realized they were both still naked. "It seems to have something to do with the atmosphere, and every time you sleep, and after we… it seems a little better each time."
"After we what?" Steve frowned, his fingers still marveling at the sensations in his new skin.
"Sex," Wo Fat huffed, making Steve look at him in surprise.
"Seriously?"
There was a nod and then Wo Fat was touching his leg. A ripple of need spread through Steve's body at the touch and he closed his eyes at the urgency of it. Wo Fat lifted his hand away again and the desire waned almost instantly. Steve opened his eyes, meeting Wo Fat's amused look. There was no way for him not to have noticed the effect the touch had on Steve.
"It's the same for you?" Steve asked, seeing his need reflected. Confusion filled him at what they'd done, and he couldn't wrap his head around the idea of doing as they had without their permission. "What is this thing that that happens… I don't understand what's going on. Do you?"
"I have no idea beyond that it appears to be some kind of sex magic."
Steve shook his head; the concept was ludicrous. "There's no such thing."
Wo Fat raised his eyebrows and snorted. "Really?"
He reached a hand to touch Steve's wrist, and Steve moaned before he'd realized he was going to, desire spiking so strongly that he shifted forward, pulling Wo Fat nearer. Wo Fat gave in to it for a moment, allowing Steve's lips to find his and kissing him wetly for a few long moments before he pulled away, the sheer will-power it needed obvious in his expression.
Steve was already breathing harshly and his erection was so hard it was painful. "Christ," he groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as the craving waned as rapidly as it had risen. He swallowed hard and then opened his lids again to study the passionate depths of Wo Fat's eyes. "Okay, so there is such a thing. It has to be… I don't know, chemical warfare or something though, doesn't it?"
Wo Fat shrugged. "The good news is that I think you are ready to leave here, if your ankle feels better? I've packed some supplies."
Moving his foot carefully, Steve was stunned at the lack of discomfort. He rubbed at the skin; the swelling had definitely subsided."It feels good." Steve could only push aside all thoughts of what had caused their recent behavior and the results, and pull on his game face. "We don't know what we'll face out there. What else do we need?" He looked around the dimly lit room, thinking.
Wo Fat stood up, tossed Steve his shorts and then began to dress himself. "I believe I have it covered."
Steve pulled his underwear on and took his cargoes and a t-shirt that Wo Fat held out for him and put them on too. "Let me see the packs."
"One pack." Wo Fat moved across the room and picked up something that looked like an old duffel sack and slung it across his back.
"That's it?" Steve moved around the room, checking for anything that could be of use to them.
"You can't carry anything on your back yet. Here." Wo Fat held out a gun - Steve's gun.
Stunned, Steve looked at him for a moment. "You've had that all this time?"
Wo Fat nodded, still offering the weapon.
Steve studied him a moment longer then took it, checking it was operable and loaded. "Thank you."
Wo Fat nodded, and turned away, picking up items from the shelf beside him. Steve hadn't been able to see what they were, but now he was close enough to establish that one was another handgun, and there was also a knife and a flashlight.
"How far inland are we?" Steve asked.
"I haven't explored far from here, but there is a stream half a mile from here that we can follow to the sea. When I brought you here, it was dark and I had lost bearing on which direction we were heading, but it took about an hour to walk from the clearing where the plane crashed. We should be able to travel faster now. From what I recall-"
Steve cut in on the explanation. "The plane went down a couple of miles from the ocean; we could be there in less than two hours, if what you're remembering is right."
Nodding, Wo Fat tucked his gun into his trousers and secured the knife into a pocket on the rough pack.
Although Steve was armed, he still felt naked somehow - less than useful to some degree - but there was little else he could do in the circumstances. He pocketed his own gun and circled the hut one more time, picking up a short length of rope and tucking it into one of his pockets. Grabbing the oil lamp they'd been using for light, he followed Wo Fat out the doorway.
~//~
It felt good to be moving again, Steve thought as they walked. The oil lamp gave them enough light to follow the path they'd chosen, although Steve wasn't sure if he was imagining a lighter tinge to the sky. It had been so dark over the time since he'd woken in the hut with Wo Fat, but he wasn't sure now if it had simply seemed darker then due to being indoors.
The healing of his back was still a wonder; there was hardly any pain now, but the whole sex issue regarding it was not something Steve was going to be able to easily wrap his head around. He still believed it had to be some kind of chemical reaction to something they'd come into contact with, though he'd never heard of anything that could produce such aphrodisiacal - or healing - results like that.
After they'd been walking for some time, Wo Fat held up a hand to stop him. Instinctively, Steve moved closer, unsure what Wo Fat had seen or heard. It had been unnaturally quiet to Steve's ears as he'd warily watched and listened throughout their journey. They hadn't seen another person, or even an animal, and the lack of evidence to suggest they'd all died was already weighing on Steve's mind. He'd begun to wonder if the whole thing had been some kind of mind-trick being played on them - or, more worryingly, on only himself, with Wo Fat in full knowledge of the secret in order to gain his trust.
If he hadn't felt the pull of sexual attraction so greatly himself and seen the evidence of it on Wo Fat, he might even have wondered if that was part of the trick and that Wo Fat had somehow engineered it through his dependence on the man while he'd been too badly hurt to resist. But he'd seen the wonder and caution in Wo Fat's eyes too, and that seemed to suggest they were both as ignorant of the situation as each other.
"What is it?" Steve asked in a whisper. "You see or hear something?"
"It's the lack of noise that concerns me."
"Agreed. Has it been like this the whole time?"
"No. There have been animal noises from time to time when I went outside; this is the first time they seem to have disappeared."
Steve squinted into the distance and suddenly realized he was seeing things more clearly than he had been. "I think it's getting lighter. I can see… not much, but see, over there? I can make out a tree-line."
Wo Fat nodded and turned off the flashlight he held. Steve lowered the oil lamp as well and they studied the sky for a few moments.
"There!" Steve pointed at a shooting star.
"Another!" Wo Fat said, and then, as a couple more of them appeared, he grabbed Steve's arm and dragged him towards the nearest large object to hide.
Steve's heart thudded in his chest with the remembered sight of the falling stars that had turned to explosions just days ago. He didn't want to go through that again.
But there was something disturbingly familiar about what they were looking at now and Steve's eyes widened. "I don't think those are the same thing."
Wo Fat evidently understood what he meant, and turned to look at Steve. "What do you think they are?"
"They're too slow; I think they're aircraft. Maybe-"
He cut himself off as he realized who could have sent them. His truce with Wo Fat would be broken if they were what he believed, and now would probably not be the best time to announce it to the man since this trip had started off as a mission to bring Wo Fat in. While Steve had reason to be grateful for Wo Fat saving his life and for his care since then, he still had an obligation to complete that mission, especially if the current situation between them was temporary and Wo Fat would be returning to his former ruthless persona.
"Aircraft?" Wo Fat asked. "Ah…" He straightened up and gave Steve a look that made him nervous. "I cannot return with you, Commander."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, "You can't stay here."
But now, as he spoke, he realized exactly how much lighter the day was becoming, and how likely it was that Wo Fat would attempt to leave on his own terms. No doubt he had people who could help him go wherever he wanted, and now their temporary isolation looked like coming to a close, it wasn't as unlikely as Steve was suggesting, and Wo Fat would know that.
A noise which sounded like helicopters in the distance was slowly growing louder, and Wo Fat drew closer and lifted his lip in a small smile. "I have given you aid… and more… when you could have died, Commander… Steve. You owe me for that. I must call that favor in."
The look in Wo Fat's eyes said that he knew Steve was sorting through the options; working out what he could get away with not telling his team and the governor, and what he believed Wo Fat would say. "I can't let you go," Steve told him as the lights they'd seen morphed into helicopters in the growing daylight.
"You don't have a choice," Wo Fat said, pulling out his gun at the same time Steve found his own.
They stood there, pointing the weapons at each other, Wo Fat's expression no less determined than Steve knew his own must be.
"You won't shoot me," Wo Fat told him, "Your conscience won't let you. But can you be sure that I won't shoot you? That's the question you must ask yourself."
"Do you think what we did together will stop me from shooting if I have to?" Steve asked, maintaining the glare that he aimed at Wo Fat as surely as his gun. He didn't feel nearly as certain as his words would suggest, but he had to hope Wo Fat fell for the bluff.
Wo Fat's smile grew, and he lifted his eyes upward as the wind from the closest helicopter began to stir the dirt around them. Steve wanted to look up, to see what was amusing Wo Fat, but he couldn't take his eyes off him. He shifted backward, turning slightly to take in the sight of the landing 'copter.
As he realized what he was seeing, Steve's eyes widened. Wo Fat's smile turned feral and he ran for the aircraft. Steve leveled his gun at the man, but it was too late. Wo Fat tucked his own weapon into the back of his trousers just before he leapt for the helicopter, allowing the men on board to pull him in as the machine began to lift off.
Wind buffeted Steve and stirred up dust, blinding him as he tried to follow Wo Fat. It was pointless even attempting to shoot; he knew the shots would go wide, and, more pointedly - much as it pained him - Steve didn't want to kill Wo Fat now. No, the man had been right; Wo Fat's care of him when he could very easily have either left Steve to die, or killed him at any point in the last few days, had pushed Steve's sense of fair play into overdrive. And after they had… connected as they had, even if the cause of that was something outside of themselves, there was a part of him that wondered at the feelings involved.
When Steve's vision cleared, the helicopter carrying Wo Fat had swung away to the east, disappearing towards the rising sun. He shook his head at his conscience, and turned back to watch the other helicopters land several feet in front of him.
"Thank God," he muttered as Danny jumped out of the nearest 'copter, smiling grimly as he walked to meet him.
"Steve!" Danny hugged Steve like he worried he'd never see him again, and Steve returned the hug just as fiercely, but pulled away again quickly. "Thank Christ you're okay."
Steve's smile widened. "You worried about me?"
"Always," Danny said simply. He squinted in the direction Wo Fat's helicopter had disappeared, and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Should we go after him?"
Steve frowned, noting how much of a head start the man had, and shook his head. "He'll have had his people plan this out in advance, even if it was sheer luck we were in the right place when they got here. We have more pressing worries." He faced Danny, hoping the man wasn't reading his thoughts. "We'll get another chance to catch him. I have a feeling it isn't the last time we'll cross paths."
Danny raised his eyebrows, but nodded. "We need to get you checked out. Is there anyone else with you?"
"No, it was just the two of us. I'll explain it all back at HQ. We haven't seen anyone else since the explosions. What caused the blackout; do you know?"
Danny nodded again, his expression grim. "Someone - North Korea, we suspect - was doing some kind of chemical testing north of here, onboard a ship. Something got out of hand and there was an explosion. The whole boat went up, and whatever it was they were working with sent a chemical cloud into the sky. They must have thought they were under attack and launched an airstrike, so there was all kinds of firepower focused over this island, as well as whatever chemicals that were in the cloud, blocking out the sun. The weather patterns shifted severely and stilled, which is what cut you off here."
Steve raised his eyebrows in wonder - he still wasn't convinced it was that simple, considering what he'd experienced - but he let it go for now. "So it was just here? You had light on Oahu?"
Danny shook his head. "You must have caught the worst of it here, but it darkened some over there. It affected anything electrical or electronic, meaning we were at a standstill on what was happening until just a few hours ago. The epicenter seems to have been here, on this island. Thankfully, once things got working again this morning, and we got reports that your plane had gone down here - the one that flew home dark," he grinned meaningfully and continued, "It was the first place we headed. Naturally, I figured you'd have survived somehow. We didn't know who the other 'copter belonged to until… well, just now."
Steve let his eyes swing to the east again for a moment, and then he turned back to Danny. "Whatever it was in that chemical cloud… Do they know what it was; what it could do?"
"No. Not much intel on it yet, but we're gathering some data. Looks like that part of it is out of our hands, though we've been ordered to monitor any crimes during the blackout and respond where needed."
"They must be looking at testing the air and interviewing anyone affected by it?"
"Of course. You think you're okay? Anything weird happen here? First order of business is to get you to Tripler for a check-up."
Steve smiled tightly. It was too soon to tell Danny about what had happened to him, and about the exchange between himself and Wo Fat, but when the testing was underway, he knew the agency concerned would want to know all the effects he and Wo Fat had suffered. In all good conscience, he wouldn't be able to lie, but there was time enough for him to come to terms with that. And there was always the possibility that their reaction was isolated. In any case, because of national security, the information would probably be classified, and only disseminated to a select few.
Steve knew he could keep the information to himself in the same way as he did with any of the missions he'd completed with his SEAL team. Danny would never need to know, and Steve would simply answer any probing questions with his standard 'that's classified' answer. Maybe one day that would change, but for now, keeping it to himself was his only thought.
"I'm okay, Danno. Now, let's go home. We have work to do."
~//~
END
Pairing/Characters: Steve/Wo Fat
Genre: AU
Word Count: 7,007
Rating: NC-17
Warnings/Spoilers: Mild spoilers for S2.22; unusual behavior for enemies; sex magic
Disclaimer: Still don't own them; still ain't getting rich
Beta: The incomparable siluria. As ever, my thanks are with you
Summary: The sky is falling; it must be, or Steve would never find himself in this position
Author’s Notes: This was written for my first ever Reverse Bang at h50_reversebang, and is based on galadriel34's beautiful artwork, which can be found here. Thanks for inspiring me, Gala!
These teasers were also made by her:
NB: this fic can also be read here at AO3
It had been… well, not exactly what you'd call an ordinary day, but the daylight had been normal, at least for the time of day it was when the plane crashed… and then suddenly, it wasn't.
Steve McGarrett had subdued Wo Fat, handcuffed the man to his own wrist, and watched a helicopter full of Yakuza land. It appeared they were trying to kill not only him but Wo Fat as well. He and his prisoner had just found refuge from them behind a broken vehicle when it happened.
The sky gradually darkened - not so slowly as a normal sunset, but not as fast as the sun going behind a cloud - and then it was as if they had suddenly been transported into another realm. The sky was a deep midnight blue, and stars winked into being all around, casting an eerie light over the dim landscape.
Steve and Wo Fat frowned at each other, gazing around them and at the sky. The stars began to flicker oddly, some of them growing in size and luminosity.
"What the…?" Steve muttered, checking Wo Fat's face once more. He looked as stunned as Steve felt, the whites of his eyes reflecting the burning objects from space that appeared to be almost hovering some miles above them.
There was the sound of muffled talking - something in another language that sounded as puzzled as Steve was beginning to feel - and part of the oddness became clear to him: he couldn't hear any animals.
No birdlife, no insects. Nothing.
One of the stars flared abruptly, doubling in size, and as Steve and Wo Fat shielded their eyes from its brightness, trying to see what was happening through their fingers, several other stars did the same thing, and then, almost as if choreographed, all of these brighter lights began falling.
"What are those? Falling stars?" Wo Fat asked as they stayed crouched where they were.
Steve, all too aware of the waiting Yakuza beyond the vehicle hiding them, shook his head. "I don't think so. They're too-"
His words were cut off by a sudden high-pitched sizzling sound and then an explosion on the other side of their hiding place. Screams echoed into the night as the stars continued to fall, and then the noises cut off oddly. None of the burning objects had fallen close to Steve and Wo Fat, but it was clear the Yakuza had not been so lucky.
"Come on!" Steve urged, tugging Wo Fat behind him.
Above them, more stars flared, and as Steve and Wo Fat hurried over the charred ground away from the vehicle, another 'star' scissored into the metal, causing it to spit white-hot sparks in all directions.
"McGarrett!" Wo Fat roared, "You have to uncuff me!"
But Steve dragged him on, moving them relentlessly out of harm's way of yet another explosion behind them. A moaning sound to his left slowed Steve, and he turned, peering through the smoke and sparks. He could see two bodies - they both looked lifeless, one was charred beyond recognition - and a huddled-over third person a couple of feet away.
"Are you-" he started to ask as the body uncurled from its almost-fetal position and collapsed back beside him. Blood and charcoal intermingled across the man's whole body, and both arms were gone, his thick, blackened blood dribbling into the dirt. What was left of the man's eyes were open and staring. There was no point finishing the question.
None of the events fit in with any weapons known to Steve, and he turned shocked eyes back to Wo Fat. His nemesis looked as stunned as Steve felt, and they gazed speechlessly at one another for a few moments as flames and smoke swirled around them.
Another flare of light drew Steve's eyes, surprising him into motion. Nodding meaningfully at Wo Fat, he drew out the handcuff key. "When this is over, you're still my prisoner."
Wo Fat met his eye, lowering his head fractionally as if to acknowledge that fact, and waited while Steve unlocked the cuffs. Rubbing his wrist, he offered Steve a tight smile. "Thank you."
As he finished the word, his eyes widened and he grabbed for Steve, pulling him towards his own body. Steve instinctively began to fight the motion, but searing heat and the high sizzling sound of whatever the things in the sky were made him realize at the last moment that Wo Fat was trying to save him from the same fate the Yakuza had suffered.
He blacked out, his last memory the reality of Wo Fat's arms encircling him as he was dragged away from the scorching intensity of the unknown incendiary device.
~//~
Consciousness returned slowly, and with it an insistent spiral of pain at Steve's back. He was on his stomach, head turned to one side, and he blinked, trying to focus on something white he could see in the darkness. Buzzing in his ears started to clear and Steve could hear the sound of a cloth being squeezed in water behind him.
Attempting to turn over, he stopped when a hand touched his shoulder, keeping him where he was.
"Don't move. Your back is burned and you won't be able to lie on it yet." Wo Fat's voice was matter-of-fact, and when Steve relaxed back into whatever he was laid on, he lifted the hand he'd kept Steve in place with.
Steve turned his head to focus on Wo Fat, but he was looking at what he was doing, carefully lifting what looked to be wet cloth from Steve's lower back - Steve wincing as bits of it stuck to the wound - and dropped it into a bowl beside him. As Steve tried to remember what had happened to put him in this position, Wo Fat pulled the cloth out of the water again, squeezing it gently and then spreading it out and gingerly lowering it back where it had been on Steve's back. The coolness was mercifully soothing.
"How bad is it?" Steve rasped.
"I've seen worse," Wo Fat said, turning his dark eyes to gaze thoughtfully at Steve's face. "If I hadn't pulled you away when the… thing… exploded, you might not have made it this far."
It came back with a rush as Wo Fat's words: the weird bombs - if that's what they were - and the flashing explosions that had taken the lives of the Yakuza members trying to kill them. "Where… where did they come from?"
Wo Fat shook his head. "From above. I managed to drag you away, half-carrying you until we found this hut. It was deserted, but there is food, bedding, water. Whoever was here has left. Those… the explosions have stopped."
"Is it night-time now?" Steve asked, searching with his eyes for a window or door.
"It stayed dark," Wo Fat replied. "It can't be more than 4pm. You should drink some water." He moved away, coming back a few moments later with a cup that he held in front of Steve. "Can you lift your upper body?"
Steve pushed with his elbows, raising himself with difficulty as pain lanced through him. Gritting his teeth, he held still a moment, taking a deep breath and then nodding.
Wo Fat held the cup to his lips, tipping the cup gently as Steve gratefully swallowed some of the tepid water.
When he had drunk as much as he could manage, Wo Fat put down the cup, aiding Steve to return to lying again. Steve felt weak, the pain throbbing heatedly at his kidneys and up his spine, despite the damp cloth Wo Fat had laid over the injury.
"I need to change this frequently," Wo Fat told him, "Or it will stick to the wound. Are you ready?"
Steve nodded carefully, watching Wo Fat sideways and gritting his teeth in preparation as the man repeated the earlier procedure.
"With luck the scarring will be minimal since I found water quickly, but it's deep in a couple of places, so… there are no guarantees."
Steve frowned, puzzled by Wo Fat taking care of his wounds and staying with him. "Why are you doing this?"
Wo Fat looked at him impassively for a few seconds before he spoke. "We don't know what's out there. We may need each other to survive."
"Where's my cell? We should try to contact my team; find out what happened."
Wo Fat shook his head, but turned to reach behind him, and then handed Steve his phone. It was glowing, but the 'no service' logo was flashing. Steve shifted awkwardly and tapped different things on the phone for a while, but it was clear they were cut off; there would be no contacting the rest of the Five-0 team, or anyone else.
"Do you know what it is? Those explosions were like nothing I've ever seen."
Wo Fat hesitated before answering, his expression hard to read. "I saw something like it once before, but…"
"But what?" Steve shifted uncomfortably as the cloth on his back warmed and the pain deepened.
"It was smaller and there were fewer of them. They are stars that have fallen."
Steve's mouth opened slightly as he tried to process the words and the seriousness in Wo Fat's eyes. "You don't actually believe... do you?"
"I have no other explanation."
Steve glanced around the dimly lit room again, unable to discern windows or anything to see what the sky looked like now. "That… it can't be true."
"The daytime is gone, Commander, and we are here in the night. The sky is black and we are miles from proper civilization. What else can you suggest?"
Steve had no answer for that.
~//~
By the end of what should have been the second day, Steve was feeling a little less pain due to Wo Fat's regular ministrations of cool wet cloths, although he still wasn't capable of going far - had there been anywhere to go. Wo Fat had found both food supplies - albeit of the basic rice and spices variety - and wood to burn to cook it, along with a cask of clean water, and had prepared meals for them that had turned out to be surprisingly edible.
Steve had slept intermittently through the hours they were there, and as the only bed in the hut was where he was being cared for by Wo Fat, it seemed reasonable that he should offer to share it when Wo Fat also needed rest. It was easily wide enough for two, and while Steve felt wary of Wo Fat's proximity, he was unable to move far without the burning sensation in his back increasing, and was unable to sit upright for long enough to allow the other man a turn in the bed by himself.
At one wakening, Steve - unable to sleep other than on his stomach so far - turned his head to look at Wo Fat's back in the dark, barely able to make out his form in the dimness. It felt odd to be putting so much faith in his sworn enemy, but Steve had no choice.
But what was most odd was the fact that Wo Fat was doing this: caring for Steve. In his place, Steve wasn't sure he would be capable of the same behavior.
Wo Fat shifted as Steve gazed in his direction, rolling onto his back and exposing his smooth chest to Steve's sight. His eyes had adjusted remarkably well to the lack of light - clearly it wasn't pitch dark or he'd have seen little - and the slight sheen of sweat that covered Wo Fat's torso indicated that despite the darkness, the warmth associated with the islands was not dissimilar to its usual level.
Wo Fat shifted again, turning his face in Steve's direction so that they were breathing the same air. Steve's heart thudded in his ears at the closeness, and he attempted to move away, but a sudden twinge as he did so forced a whistle of breath from him and he closed his eyes tight, staying where he was to ride out the pain.
When he could draw breath evenly again, he opened his eyes once more, only to find Wo Fat staring at him from the same too-close position he'd been in prior to Steve's movement.
"Are you in pain?" Wo Fat whispered, the blackness of his eyes appearing to search Steve's. His voice was low and silky, sending unusual ripples through Steve's senses. "I should look at your back again."
"It's… it's not necessary," Steve got out with difficulty. His eyes felt locked where they were, a reaction he had not expected with this man. A shiver ran though him as he stared, unable to look away.
"You're cold?" Wo Fat asked, and to Steve's surprise, he moved nearer, gently lifting the thin blanket that covered Steve to his waist, and placing it over both of them.
Steve hissed as it touched his blistering skin, but it didn't hurt as much as he had expected.
"Shock will do that, they say. Your back will take some time to heal, and the body will do what it can to compensate. It may not pay attention to the elements, and we must keep your temperature steady.
"How do you know so much about burns?" Steve asked, his heart continuing to thump.
Wo Fat didn't answer; his smile enigmatic. "You need sleep. I'll stay close so you won't be cold." He pressed against Steve's nearest side, resting his hand low on Steve's hip below the burn and tipping his head forward so that it just touched Steve's shoulder.
Somehow, the contact was comforting, and Steve closed his eyes gratefully.
~//~
When next he woke, Wo Fat was across the room, stirring something in a pot on the wood-stove.
Steve could feel the heat of his back, but as he shifted slightly he could tell that Wo Fat had changed the cloth covering him. While previously it had been a just-damp material covered by the thin blanket, now it was wetter and cooler against what was left of the outer layers of skin.
"How long did I sleep?" he asked, his voice rough.
Wo Fat turned, a smile on his face that seemed different from any smile he'd offered Steve before. "About four hours. I changed the dressing on your back about an hour ago. It's blistering, but it doesn't look as though it's gone too deep. You were lucky."
Steve tried to lift his body up, but the feeling was like the sting of a severe sunburn and he gave up the attempt, instead propping his head up on his folded arms. "It would have been worse if you hadn't helped. You found water quickly enough to minimize it. Thank you." It was strange to be thanking Wo Fat, but Steve knew he owed the man his life - not just for treating the burn, but for getting him away from the explosions when he was helpless to save himself.
Wo Fat looked at him for a quiet moment in the light cast from the wood-stove and the one smoky candle near the bed, and then turned back to the pot. Within minutes he brought Steve a bowl of rice, spiced with something Steve couldn't recognize, and while he would have liked to sit up to eat, surprised at his body's weakness, he felt unable to. Wo Fat placed the bowl in front of him and offered him a spoon. Steve thanked him in low tones and began awkwardly scooping the food into his mouth. At least it was an improvement on the previous meals where Wo Fat had spoon-fed him.
Wo Fat filled a second bowl for himself and sat down in the one rickety chair, eating silently. Steve was aware of the man's eyes on him, though neither of them spoke and he didn't look in Wo Fat's direction while he cleaned the bowl of every grain.
Afterward, Wo Fat took the bowls away and brought Steve a mug of cool water. Gratefully, Steve gulped the contents down while he watched Wo Fat clean up the remains of the meal and tidy away their bowls and utensils.
"Do you know where we are?" Steve asked after a while.
"We are in a village, although we are the only ones here, but I don't know its name or where we are precisely. When you are able to walk, we will try to make our way to the sea. Perhaps we can find others there or a boat. We may be able to make our way to Oahu."
Steve nodded in agreement. It seemed like a sound plan. Who or what they would find, he couldn't begin to speculate, but they couldn't be the only survivors. What would happen when they found whatever civilization that remained would have to stay an unknown at this point; he needed Wo Fat's help right now, and could only be thankful he'd been offered it.
~//~
The following 'night' was much like the last, with Wo Fat offering Steve the simple comfort of another's warmth to keep his own temperature steady, and Steve steadfastly refused to consider how much he needed not just the warmth but the touch itself. He also felt a similar stirring of something deeper, but he ignored that as best he could, almost savoring the slices of pain that he felt at each movement he made.
The next morning, he finally managed to sit up, although he could tell it would be some time before he could wear more than a light covering over the burned skin.
And now it became evident that he had twisted an ankle somehow in the explosion; it hadn't been obvious before when he was lying down. Even with shifting awkwardly to relieve himself into the bucket Wo Fat would leave by the side of the bed when he needed it, Steve hadn't noticed more than a mild discomfort in the ankle. It would make walking any distance difficult for a couple of days, and that and being unable to cover his back for any length of time held him back from wanting to be on the move.
Wo Fat had shaken his head when Steve tried to suggest he would be capable of the journey in a day or two. "Your ankle should have more rest than another day. And I want to be sure your back is not infected before we move. Here, I have basic supplies to tend it; I can't say what is out there. We need to take as much with us - including food - as we can. We will wait three more nights."
Steve tried to protest, but there was no shifting Wo Fat. Much as he hated the fact, he knew he had to do what the man said for the moment.
~//~
Waking up slowly, Steve realized he was lying on his side rather than his stomach. Wo Fat was facing away from him and Steve was spooning him. The surprise of it made him forget his burned back, and he drew away, hissing as still fragile skin scraped against the sheets.
Wo Fat turned over, his eyes widening in the dim light. "Are you okay?"
Steve rolled back to his stomach, gritting his teeth against the pain. "I'll be fine. I was… I must have turned in my sleep."
Sitting up, Wo Fat reached to light the candle beside the bed. "Let me see. I should make sure you haven't broken the skin." He got up to cross the room, coming back with a bowl of water. Placing the bowl on the table, he soaked the rag he'd cleaned earlier and squeezed out the excess water.
Closing his eyes, Steve prepared for the touch of the cloth. He listened as Wo Fat drew nearer, and took a breath as the coolness of the cloth muted the pain. Wo Fat seemed to treat him more gently than previously - not that he'd been rough - and Steve opened his eyes, feeling something different in the air, and not sure what to expect.
Wo Fat was studying what he was doing intently, and like he was aware of Steve's scrutiny, his eyes turned abruptly to meet Steve's. His hands stilled and he blinked, his mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.
To Steve's own astonishment, he found his skin heating, and his breath caught. He had no idea where this was coming from, but he couldn't pull his focus from the shape of Wo Fat's mouth - something he'd never considered before.
It could have been a few seconds or a few minutes - Steve couldn't have said which - that they looked at each other, and then, without speaking, Steve rolled back to his side as Wo Fat replaced the wet cloth in the bowl of water. He lay back down on the bed, easing closer to Steve than they'd been before, and reached a hand to stroke gently along Steve's jaw.
Desire rippled through Steve's body at the touch, and he leaned in, meeting Wo Fat's lips with his own. All thought left Steve's head at the touch, and the discomfort in his back seemed immaterial as Wo Fat's hand curved around Steve's neck. Steve's fingers were suddenly in Wo Fat's silky hair, but he had no memory of moving them there; the kiss drew all his concentration.
Aware that he was murmuring softly, Steve pulled back enough to draw air, but he felt delirious, unable to do anything but return to the kiss, deepening the motion and winding his arms around Wo Fat until they were pressed together, mindless of anything but the need to connect.
Steve pushed Wo Fat until the man lay on his back, rising over him to press needy kisses over his smooth chest as Wo Fat's fingers stroked through his hair. Heat radiated from Wo Fat's body, and as Steve lifted up to hands and knees, he drew in a shaky breath, vaguely wondering what he was doing but unable to stop himself. Rapidly unbuttoning Wo Fat's trousers, he couldn't even offer surprise at Wo Fat's eagerness to shed the remainder of his clothing, nor could he do anything but drag his own pants out of the way so that they could press their fully naked bodies together.
Rubbing his eager flesh against the hardness below him, Steve kissed Wo Fat roughly - it was all teeth and tongues - and then harsh breathing panted into one another's skin between the almost violent clashes of their mouths. Steve rocked faster, harder, feeling the building pressure of an almost blinding need; all the while he clutched at Wo Fat wherever his hands could find purchase.
For his part, Wo Fat bucked up into him, his only concession to Steve's injuries being to grip his ass with one hand and around Steve's neck with the other.
Steve spared a vague thought to what they must have looked like, had anyone been watching, but it didn't stop him from his purpose. Between the continued assault of their mouths on each other and the low groans of desire, the rhythm between them spiked into pleasure beyond all expectation, and Steve's vision blurred as he came hard. He rocked a last few times, aware that their orgasms had been almost completely simultaneous, and let out a low whoosh of sound as he collapsed down onto the spent man under him.
~//~
When Steve woke up from a sleep he hadn't remembered falling into, he was back on his stomach, and Wo Fat was across the room, staring out at the night sky through the open door. Pausing to remember what had transpired earlier and to note his current state, Steve realized that the pain from his back seemed much better, and he was damp but not as sticky as he might have expected after their mutual release pressed so closely together. Wo Fat must have wiped him clean while he slept, though he had to wonder at it not waking him.
"Hey," he said, his voice rough.
Wo Fat turned at the sound and offered a half-smile in Steve's direction. There was a wary look in his eyes, despite the smile, like the intimacy between them hadn't changed anything. "You needed the sleep."
Steve narrowed his eyes, shifting to sit upright and carefully testing the edge of his burn with his fingertips. To his surprise, it seemed nowhere near as blistered as he'd remembered; almost like something magical had half-healed it already.
"Did you do this?" Steve asked, letting his fingers test more skin. It too felt like new skin - tender and young, but healed.
"No," Wo Fat shook his head and stood up, moving back to the chair by the bed and sitting carefully in it as Steve realized they were both still naked. "It seems to have something to do with the atmosphere, and every time you sleep, and after we… it seems a little better each time."
"After we what?" Steve frowned, his fingers still marveling at the sensations in his new skin.
"Sex," Wo Fat huffed, making Steve look at him in surprise.
"Seriously?"
There was a nod and then Wo Fat was touching his leg. A ripple of need spread through Steve's body at the touch and he closed his eyes at the urgency of it. Wo Fat lifted his hand away again and the desire waned almost instantly. Steve opened his eyes, meeting Wo Fat's amused look. There was no way for him not to have noticed the effect the touch had on Steve.
"It's the same for you?" Steve asked, seeing his need reflected. Confusion filled him at what they'd done, and he couldn't wrap his head around the idea of doing as they had without their permission. "What is this thing that that happens… I don't understand what's going on. Do you?"
"I have no idea beyond that it appears to be some kind of sex magic."
Steve shook his head; the concept was ludicrous. "There's no such thing."
Wo Fat raised his eyebrows and snorted. "Really?"
He reached a hand to touch Steve's wrist, and Steve moaned before he'd realized he was going to, desire spiking so strongly that he shifted forward, pulling Wo Fat nearer. Wo Fat gave in to it for a moment, allowing Steve's lips to find his and kissing him wetly for a few long moments before he pulled away, the sheer will-power it needed obvious in his expression.
Steve was already breathing harshly and his erection was so hard it was painful. "Christ," he groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as the craving waned as rapidly as it had risen. He swallowed hard and then opened his lids again to study the passionate depths of Wo Fat's eyes. "Okay, so there is such a thing. It has to be… I don't know, chemical warfare or something though, doesn't it?"
Wo Fat shrugged. "The good news is that I think you are ready to leave here, if your ankle feels better? I've packed some supplies."
Moving his foot carefully, Steve was stunned at the lack of discomfort. He rubbed at the skin; the swelling had definitely subsided."It feels good." Steve could only push aside all thoughts of what had caused their recent behavior and the results, and pull on his game face. "We don't know what we'll face out there. What else do we need?" He looked around the dimly lit room, thinking.
Wo Fat stood up, tossed Steve his shorts and then began to dress himself. "I believe I have it covered."
Steve pulled his underwear on and took his cargoes and a t-shirt that Wo Fat held out for him and put them on too. "Let me see the packs."
"One pack." Wo Fat moved across the room and picked up something that looked like an old duffel sack and slung it across his back.
"That's it?" Steve moved around the room, checking for anything that could be of use to them.
"You can't carry anything on your back yet. Here." Wo Fat held out a gun - Steve's gun.
Stunned, Steve looked at him for a moment. "You've had that all this time?"
Wo Fat nodded, still offering the weapon.
Steve studied him a moment longer then took it, checking it was operable and loaded. "Thank you."
Wo Fat nodded, and turned away, picking up items from the shelf beside him. Steve hadn't been able to see what they were, but now he was close enough to establish that one was another handgun, and there was also a knife and a flashlight.
"How far inland are we?" Steve asked.
"I haven't explored far from here, but there is a stream half a mile from here that we can follow to the sea. When I brought you here, it was dark and I had lost bearing on which direction we were heading, but it took about an hour to walk from the clearing where the plane crashed. We should be able to travel faster now. From what I recall-"
Steve cut in on the explanation. "The plane went down a couple of miles from the ocean; we could be there in less than two hours, if what you're remembering is right."
Nodding, Wo Fat tucked his gun into his trousers and secured the knife into a pocket on the rough pack.
Although Steve was armed, he still felt naked somehow - less than useful to some degree - but there was little else he could do in the circumstances. He pocketed his own gun and circled the hut one more time, picking up a short length of rope and tucking it into one of his pockets. Grabbing the oil lamp they'd been using for light, he followed Wo Fat out the doorway.
~//~
It felt good to be moving again, Steve thought as they walked. The oil lamp gave them enough light to follow the path they'd chosen, although Steve wasn't sure if he was imagining a lighter tinge to the sky. It had been so dark over the time since he'd woken in the hut with Wo Fat, but he wasn't sure now if it had simply seemed darker then due to being indoors.
The healing of his back was still a wonder; there was hardly any pain now, but the whole sex issue regarding it was not something Steve was going to be able to easily wrap his head around. He still believed it had to be some kind of chemical reaction to something they'd come into contact with, though he'd never heard of anything that could produce such aphrodisiacal - or healing - results like that.
After they'd been walking for some time, Wo Fat held up a hand to stop him. Instinctively, Steve moved closer, unsure what Wo Fat had seen or heard. It had been unnaturally quiet to Steve's ears as he'd warily watched and listened throughout their journey. They hadn't seen another person, or even an animal, and the lack of evidence to suggest they'd all died was already weighing on Steve's mind. He'd begun to wonder if the whole thing had been some kind of mind-trick being played on them - or, more worryingly, on only himself, with Wo Fat in full knowledge of the secret in order to gain his trust.
If he hadn't felt the pull of sexual attraction so greatly himself and seen the evidence of it on Wo Fat, he might even have wondered if that was part of the trick and that Wo Fat had somehow engineered it through his dependence on the man while he'd been too badly hurt to resist. But he'd seen the wonder and caution in Wo Fat's eyes too, and that seemed to suggest they were both as ignorant of the situation as each other.
"What is it?" Steve asked in a whisper. "You see or hear something?"
"It's the lack of noise that concerns me."
"Agreed. Has it been like this the whole time?"
"No. There have been animal noises from time to time when I went outside; this is the first time they seem to have disappeared."
Steve squinted into the distance and suddenly realized he was seeing things more clearly than he had been. "I think it's getting lighter. I can see… not much, but see, over there? I can make out a tree-line."
Wo Fat nodded and turned off the flashlight he held. Steve lowered the oil lamp as well and they studied the sky for a few moments.
"There!" Steve pointed at a shooting star.
"Another!" Wo Fat said, and then, as a couple more of them appeared, he grabbed Steve's arm and dragged him towards the nearest large object to hide.
Steve's heart thudded in his chest with the remembered sight of the falling stars that had turned to explosions just days ago. He didn't want to go through that again.
But there was something disturbingly familiar about what they were looking at now and Steve's eyes widened. "I don't think those are the same thing."
Wo Fat evidently understood what he meant, and turned to look at Steve. "What do you think they are?"
"They're too slow; I think they're aircraft. Maybe-"
He cut himself off as he realized who could have sent them. His truce with Wo Fat would be broken if they were what he believed, and now would probably not be the best time to announce it to the man since this trip had started off as a mission to bring Wo Fat in. While Steve had reason to be grateful for Wo Fat saving his life and for his care since then, he still had an obligation to complete that mission, especially if the current situation between them was temporary and Wo Fat would be returning to his former ruthless persona.
"Aircraft?" Wo Fat asked. "Ah…" He straightened up and gave Steve a look that made him nervous. "I cannot return with you, Commander."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, "You can't stay here."
But now, as he spoke, he realized exactly how much lighter the day was becoming, and how likely it was that Wo Fat would attempt to leave on his own terms. No doubt he had people who could help him go wherever he wanted, and now their temporary isolation looked like coming to a close, it wasn't as unlikely as Steve was suggesting, and Wo Fat would know that.
A noise which sounded like helicopters in the distance was slowly growing louder, and Wo Fat drew closer and lifted his lip in a small smile. "I have given you aid… and more… when you could have died, Commander… Steve. You owe me for that. I must call that favor in."
The look in Wo Fat's eyes said that he knew Steve was sorting through the options; working out what he could get away with not telling his team and the governor, and what he believed Wo Fat would say. "I can't let you go," Steve told him as the lights they'd seen morphed into helicopters in the growing daylight.
"You don't have a choice," Wo Fat said, pulling out his gun at the same time Steve found his own.
They stood there, pointing the weapons at each other, Wo Fat's expression no less determined than Steve knew his own must be.
"You won't shoot me," Wo Fat told him, "Your conscience won't let you. But can you be sure that I won't shoot you? That's the question you must ask yourself."
"Do you think what we did together will stop me from shooting if I have to?" Steve asked, maintaining the glare that he aimed at Wo Fat as surely as his gun. He didn't feel nearly as certain as his words would suggest, but he had to hope Wo Fat fell for the bluff.
Wo Fat's smile grew, and he lifted his eyes upward as the wind from the closest helicopter began to stir the dirt around them. Steve wanted to look up, to see what was amusing Wo Fat, but he couldn't take his eyes off him. He shifted backward, turning slightly to take in the sight of the landing 'copter.
As he realized what he was seeing, Steve's eyes widened. Wo Fat's smile turned feral and he ran for the aircraft. Steve leveled his gun at the man, but it was too late. Wo Fat tucked his own weapon into the back of his trousers just before he leapt for the helicopter, allowing the men on board to pull him in as the machine began to lift off.
Wind buffeted Steve and stirred up dust, blinding him as he tried to follow Wo Fat. It was pointless even attempting to shoot; he knew the shots would go wide, and, more pointedly - much as it pained him - Steve didn't want to kill Wo Fat now. No, the man had been right; Wo Fat's care of him when he could very easily have either left Steve to die, or killed him at any point in the last few days, had pushed Steve's sense of fair play into overdrive. And after they had… connected as they had, even if the cause of that was something outside of themselves, there was a part of him that wondered at the feelings involved.
When Steve's vision cleared, the helicopter carrying Wo Fat had swung away to the east, disappearing towards the rising sun. He shook his head at his conscience, and turned back to watch the other helicopters land several feet in front of him.
"Thank God," he muttered as Danny jumped out of the nearest 'copter, smiling grimly as he walked to meet him.
"Steve!" Danny hugged Steve like he worried he'd never see him again, and Steve returned the hug just as fiercely, but pulled away again quickly. "Thank Christ you're okay."
Steve's smile widened. "You worried about me?"
"Always," Danny said simply. He squinted in the direction Wo Fat's helicopter had disappeared, and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Should we go after him?"
Steve frowned, noting how much of a head start the man had, and shook his head. "He'll have had his people plan this out in advance, even if it was sheer luck we were in the right place when they got here. We have more pressing worries." He faced Danny, hoping the man wasn't reading his thoughts. "We'll get another chance to catch him. I have a feeling it isn't the last time we'll cross paths."
Danny raised his eyebrows, but nodded. "We need to get you checked out. Is there anyone else with you?"
"No, it was just the two of us. I'll explain it all back at HQ. We haven't seen anyone else since the explosions. What caused the blackout; do you know?"
Danny nodded again, his expression grim. "Someone - North Korea, we suspect - was doing some kind of chemical testing north of here, onboard a ship. Something got out of hand and there was an explosion. The whole boat went up, and whatever it was they were working with sent a chemical cloud into the sky. They must have thought they were under attack and launched an airstrike, so there was all kinds of firepower focused over this island, as well as whatever chemicals that were in the cloud, blocking out the sun. The weather patterns shifted severely and stilled, which is what cut you off here."
Steve raised his eyebrows in wonder - he still wasn't convinced it was that simple, considering what he'd experienced - but he let it go for now. "So it was just here? You had light on Oahu?"
Danny shook his head. "You must have caught the worst of it here, but it darkened some over there. It affected anything electrical or electronic, meaning we were at a standstill on what was happening until just a few hours ago. The epicenter seems to have been here, on this island. Thankfully, once things got working again this morning, and we got reports that your plane had gone down here - the one that flew home dark," he grinned meaningfully and continued, "It was the first place we headed. Naturally, I figured you'd have survived somehow. We didn't know who the other 'copter belonged to until… well, just now."
Steve let his eyes swing to the east again for a moment, and then he turned back to Danny. "Whatever it was in that chemical cloud… Do they know what it was; what it could do?"
"No. Not much intel on it yet, but we're gathering some data. Looks like that part of it is out of our hands, though we've been ordered to monitor any crimes during the blackout and respond where needed."
"They must be looking at testing the air and interviewing anyone affected by it?"
"Of course. You think you're okay? Anything weird happen here? First order of business is to get you to Tripler for a check-up."
Steve smiled tightly. It was too soon to tell Danny about what had happened to him, and about the exchange between himself and Wo Fat, but when the testing was underway, he knew the agency concerned would want to know all the effects he and Wo Fat had suffered. In all good conscience, he wouldn't be able to lie, but there was time enough for him to come to terms with that. And there was always the possibility that their reaction was isolated. In any case, because of national security, the information would probably be classified, and only disseminated to a select few.
Steve knew he could keep the information to himself in the same way as he did with any of the missions he'd completed with his SEAL team. Danny would never need to know, and Steve would simply answer any probing questions with his standard 'that's classified' answer. Maybe one day that would change, but for now, keeping it to himself was his only thought.
"I'm okay, Danno. Now, let's go home. We have work to do."
~//~
END