Fic: Who says you can’t go home? - [Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams]
Title: ‘Who says you can’t go home?’ - [1/5]
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Rating: mostly R, but it gets NC-17 later on
Warnings: slash, presence of OCs. They also work a case, sort of.
Words: about 30,000
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, unfortunately. Title borrowed from Bon Jovi.
Notes: I’d like to point out that I do not share Danny’s view of Hawaii, I think it’s a gorgeous place. Also, I love pineapples.
Summary: Danny is having a hard time finding a new living arrangement and things get even more complicated when he has to deal with a new roommate, a high-profile case and a car accident that endangers someone he cares about. Also, pineapples occur.
Crossposted
~~
1. The one where Danny needs to move out, like, yesterday
They’re chasing a guy down a crowded street in Honolulu, and that is definitely not how Danny pictured his Saturday afternoon going. Not one bit. He swallows that thought for maybe the thirteenth time since the drug dealer they’re trying to arrest decided he was feeling like taking a jog once he spotted their badges. A very fast, zigzagging jog in a street full of people who are enjoying a very normal, relaxing Saturday afternoon.
Steve is a few steps ahead of him, of course he is, and for some reason even that adds to the frustration of the whole situation. Then, suddenly, the suspect takes a turn into an alley and Steve turns for a second to glance at his partner.
“Stay on him!”
“Stay on him? What d’you mean stay--” Danny doesn’t even bother to finish that sentence and turns left too, keeping his eyes on the suspect, while Steve just runs straight. Danny makes a mental eye roll and paces his breath, reducing the distance a little. So Steve thinks he can circle the block and outrun the nineteen years old they’re chasing, fine.
Apparently, he can, because the moment they reach the end of the alley, where it pours back into another crowded street, Steve is right there, holding his gun. At least he has the decency to be out of breath, Danny thinks.
The kid, however, doesn’t seem to be impressed with the ex-SEAL’s running skills and charges him with an angered growl. Steve is surely not expecting that and he almost ends up on his ass on the sidewalk. Danny is tempted to tease him, but decides against it; he wouldn’t want to waste such an opportunity with a poor assembled joke, he’s going to treasure that moment and squeeze every inch of fun he can get from it.
By the time Steve gets his ground again and resumes running, the kid is in the middle of the crowd, several feet ahead of them. Then, suddenly, he’s lying on the sidewalk, groaning in pain.
Through the swarming mass of people, Danny vaguely recognizes a woman’s features standing over him, her bent arm still extended from where she elbowed him in the face. His brain hands him the most reasonable answer: Lori or Kono outran both of them.
Instead, when they get there, there’s a complete stranger, a civilian - a very good looking one, but still a civilian -, who’s rubbing her elbow with a pained expression. “That surely didn’t seem so painful on TV.”
“You crazy bitch, I’m going to sue you,” the kid snarls, while Steve turns him on his stomach and cuffs him. He’s bleeding from his nose and upper lip, and the girl looks more distressed by the blood than the words. Those, Danny’s not ever sure she’s heard.
“Yeah, I’m sure you can find a great lawyer to sue her from jail,” Danny tells him, while Steve drags the guy to his feet. “You better find one for yourself first, though.”
Steve grins at those words and pushes the drug dealer towards Kono’s car, which just pulled up next to where they’re standing. Seeing that the situation is under control, Danny approaches the girl, trying to evaluate her state of mind. He studies her for a moment; she has long brown hair - just reaching her shoulder blades -, wavy but not curly, piercing green eyes and a facial bone structure that would make Lori jealous. “Are you alright?”
She’s still rubbing her elbow in a kind of absent way and her eyes are following Steve. Of course they are. But Danny can’t really blame her for that: Steve, even from behind - especially from behind, his mind suggests - is quite a view. She seems to realize Danny’s waiting for her to say something and shakes out of her silence. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she breathes out, sounding much less shaken that Danny expected. “What’s the matter with that guy? What did he do?”
“Ongoing investigation, can’t discuss it,” Danny offers with a smile. “Have you ever seen him before?”
“Nope,” she looks one last time at the guy while the car door closes after him, then focuses completely on Danny. “He’s not some kind of serial killer, right? I mean, he’s not gonna come after me with a horrible set of surgical equipment or something?”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Danny reassures her with a solemn nod. “He just won one long vacation to Jailland, so he won’t be bothering you, Miss--” he leaves the sentence suspended, waiting for her to finish.
“Kostan,” she offers with a smile. “Olivia Kostan. Do I need to sign a statement?” Right then, a thought seems to strike her. “You are HPD, right?”
“We’re Five-0,” Danny corrects her, honestly amused that only then she thought she might be helping the wrong guys. He can see her suspect melt away after his words. “Thanks for your cooperation, Miss Kostan, and no, that won’t be necessary.” Writing that the suspect simply bumped into the girl will save them so much work, but he doesn’t tell her that part.
“Good.” Olivia looks relieved and she reaches for something in her pocket, her cell phone. “This has to be the craziest day I had since I set foot on this island.”
“It gets crazier,” Danny says with a grin, but then thinks that no, it doesn’t get crazier, unless you’re friends with McGarrett. “Thanks again for the incredibly reckless gesture. Do you need to see a medic about that arm?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She moves it tentatively, then shakes her head. “Is it okay if I go, detective?”
“Williams,” Danny offers, even thought he’s not sure she’s asking. “Sure, go ahead, and have a less insane day.”
She actually laughs at those words and Danny is glad she isn’t so mentally scarred to lose her sense of humor. For some reason, he’s also glad she has one to begin with; no one without it can survive the island. He's not even kidding, this place is like an enormous joke, sometimes. “I’ll try, and you too.”
Danny watches her dial a number on her cell phone and walk away quickly, checking her watch. The truth is, if he wasn’t so desperately, hopelessly and pathetically in love with his current partner, roommate and probably best friend, he would go for it, ask her for her number. Instead, he lets her go, feeling like he should be way more interested - in a romantic fashion - in her than he is. Crap, McGarrett really is bad for him all around.
~~
So yes, he’s still kind of homeless and yes, he’s staying at Steve’s, but he doesn’t feel like he lives there, since he sleeps on the couch and doesn’t spill a penny for the bills. He really wouldn’t mind sleeping in Steve’s bed and paying half of the expenses, but Steve offered him a place to stay while he found a new apartment, not marriage.
Which is probably why it has to stop as soon as it can. Because being that close to Steve all day, and most part of the evening too, is driving Danny crazy. Sure, he enjoys having someone he can talk to without picking up the phone and he loves watching stupid movies with Steve and laugh about them.
But then there’s other stuff. Catherine, for instance. She spent two days there the previous week and Danny can’t shake the feeling that she knows, she knows and even hinted that Danny should do what he has to do, that she would be happy for him; she added a wink too, and no, she’s not a master in subtlety.
And then there’s a hundred more things, like the ungodly hour Steve wakes up in the morning, making a hell of a noise in the kitchen and furthermore preventing Danny from sleeping, too. Or the way Steve never has any type of junk food in the fridge and scowls at him when he buys some. But he’s the guest, and he can’t ask Steve to change his habits for him.
That hurts him a little, if he wants to be honest.
But he doesn’t want to be honest, not while they’re both sitting on the couch, enjoying a perfectly good game on TV and drinking beer. They wrapped up the case after catching the dealer and miraculously got a confession, though Steve’s hints at the shark cage accident probably played a big role.
“It was kind of fun today,” Danny says with a half-grin. “The way that girl floored him.”
“It was reckless,” Steve deadpans with a straight face, and Danny immediately thinks he must be joking. “She could have gotten herself killed.”
“Says the guy who jumps out of moving cars on a regular basis,” Danny points out with an unbelieving laughter.
“I don’t,” Steve protests. “Not on a regular basis, at least.”
“Babe, Grace, my beloved daughter who sees you twice a month, made a picture of you jumping from a moving car,” he replies with his best ‘cut the shit’ tone, then remembers something he’s meant to ask Steve. “By the way, did you talk to her about the job when she was here last week?”
“I might have.” Steve looks positively guilty and tries to hide it by taking a long gulp from his beer.
“D’you read Braille?” Danny half-turns on the couch to stare at him, deadly serious. He can see the confusion on Steve’s face at the random question, but doesn’t give him the time to ask. “Because maybe, if I carve it into your hand in Braille alphabet, you will remember that you’re not supposed to tell Gracie about that kind of stuff.”
“She asked.” Steve holds up his hands in a helpless kind of way - palms up, fingers casually extended - that really doesn’t suit him.
“What are you, five?” Danny throws his hands in the air, exasperated, and doesn't miss the mix of guilt and amusement that lights up Steve's eyes. “Wait, maybe you are,” he pauses, letting a small grin stretch his lips. “I mean, with the way you went down when that teenager tackled you--”
But Steve doesn't let him finish, he turns slightly on his side to mirror his position. “I did not go down.”
“You were this close,” Danny reminds him, holding his hand up and keeping his thumb and index barely an inch apart. “But hey, it's okay, I guess it's to be expected with old age.”
“You're having fun with this, aren't you?” Steve stares at him, eyes narrowed and lips set in a straight line.
“So much fun,” Danny confirms, not one bit regretting the wide grin he's sporting.
“I hate you.” Steve turns back to the television screen, but Danny can see he's trying to fight a smile.
He wants to answer with something incredibly stupid, like 'I don't. I actually love you to bits, you stupid animal', but he manages to keep his tongue in check. When he's positive Steve is glancing at him, he draws a heart in the air with his fingers. Steve actually laughs out loud, probably remembering the gesture from their unfortunate trip in the woods.
It's not as good as spilling his beans, but it's good enough to placate the insane instinct that tells him to just jump the guy's bones and to hell with working together and Steve being a super ninja SEAL with a fine taste in women.
Yes, he needs to move out, like, yesterday.
~~
When, two weeks later, he finally finds an apartment he likes - good neighborhood, cable, pro-pet policy and no ghosts -, he almost cries with relief. The price is slightly higher than he expected to be paying, but he can afford it and he's not going to let it slip away.
Unfortunately, luck is not on his side on this one.
“Mister Williams,” the real estate agent addresses him with an apologetic smile. “I'm afraid there's a problem.”
He really hates this island. He's not sure what that has to do with said problem, but he just feels like repeating that in his mind, it simply makes him feel better. “What problem?”
“We had another offer, right this morning,” the woman, Laura, tells him, walking into the partially furnished kitchen-space; it opens directly into the living room and Danny loves that, too.
“How much more are we talking about?” Danny braces himself for the financial slap in the face he's about to receive.
Right then, someone knocks on the door and for a moment he swears he sees panic on Laura's face. She checks her watch and takes a deep breath, and even though Danny is no telepath, he can guess she screwed up and put the two appointments too close together. Also, Danny was twenty minutes late, thanks to the traffic, so it's technically his fault.
“I promise I will be civil,” Danny says and gestures towards the door, and he really wants to add 'I'm not McGarrett', but this woman doesn't know him. Lucky her, he thinks, rather unfairly.
Laura nods, unconvinced, and goes to open the door. She doesn't have the time to say anything, though.
“Miss Kostan?” Danny almost drops his cell phone along with his jaw, but manages to keep it together.
“Detective Williams?” Olivia frowns and looks around, possibly looking for a murder scene or something equally gruesome. And really, it's not really that great to be associated with massacre and blood, but he's kind of used to it by now.
“You made the second offer?”
“You made the first one?” is all the answer she gives him, and it's quite enough.
“Maybe I should discuss this privately with each of you,” Laura suggests,cringing.
“We're both adults, I think we can settle this between us, live civil human beings,” Danny proposes, not too willing to let Laura take the lead; it would prolong things too much and he wants to be done with it as soon as he can. “How about coffee?”
“Right now?” Olivia seems surprised, but she doesn't look like she's against the idea of working the issue out without the aid of the real estate agent. Danny likes her more and more every second. And he curses McGarrett, just for good measure.
“I still have time before going back to work,” Danny informs with a shrug, waiting for her to make a decision. “There's a great coffee shop right across the street.” Which is also a big plus for the apartment, in his book.
“Lead the way,” Olivia accepts after a quick glance in Laura's direction. The real estate agent looks like someone just pulled a painful splinter out of her eye, the sheer relief on her face is somewhat comic.
Danny addresses her a nod and tells her they'll let her know what they come up with, then gestures Olivia to the door in a 'girls first' fashion. She's highly amused, but doesn't comment on it.
They find a good table in the back garden of the coffee shop, where a bunch of exotic-looking plants make Danny want to sneeze at the mere sight. They're probably local plants, but hell will freeze over before he gets used to all the crazy plants with unbelievingly weird shapes those islands host.
They both get coffee and they sit quietly for a minute, waiting for the waitress to walk away with their order.
“I really love this apartment,” Danny admits out loud, and he's not proud about the slightly whiny sound of it.
“Me too.” Olivia doesn't sound neither aggressive or defensive, she's refreshingly neutral and apparently she understands the hell that is finding a decent apartment with a decent prize in the city.
“Should we toss a coin?” Danny shrugs and that earns him a grin from the girl. Right then, their coffees arrive at record time. Danny doesn't waste a second and immediately sips from it, needing the caffeine to go through the bargaining process. That turns out to be a mistake.
“We could share,” Olivia proposes with a careless tone that makes him wonder, between sputters, if she's maybe one of Steve's long lost relative.
“Excuse me?” He tries to sound like he doesn't think she's crazy, but right now he does think that.
“It's reasonable,” Olivia continues, a little embarrassed by his reaction. “We both like it, and since you seem like a good guy, I don't wanna attract some bad karma by stealing it from you,” she explains with a very reasonable tone that calms him down a little. “On the other hand, you owe me for helping you catch that guy.”
“We would have caught him,” Danny protests, his pride itching just below his throat.
“Eventually,” Olivia adds, smiling a little; but it's careful, like she's maybe rethinking about her proposition.
“Eventually,” Danny admits, just to make her feel better. They would have caught the guy pretty quickly, thank you very much.
Olivia nods slowly and takes a long sip from the coffee. “So?” she tries after several seconds of silence. “Think about it, half the rent to pay and someone to share laundry chores with,” she points out, then her eyes wonder down to his chest briefly. “You do seem to own a lot of ties for someone who lives here.”
“I do admit I'd love to pay half the money,” Danny confesses in a moment of weakness; then, for some reason, he feels the need to add, “And I don't wear as many ties as I used to, thank you.”
So the ties are still a touchy subject, even though he doesn't wear them any more at work. Mostly. Sometimes he does slip back in his routine, but only on the bad days. Or bad weeks.
“Besides, you’re a cop, which would make me feel safer,” Olivia tells him, cupping her coffee with both her hands. Danny decides that's actually reasonable, but only if you don’t live with McGarrett. It's frustrating how all his thoughts go back to that one place.
“I'll think about it,” Danny eventually says, while in his head he's thinking only two words: background check. Because he's seriously considering the thing, but he's not stupid enough to venture into something like that without being a hundred percent sure it's safe. “Won't your boyfriend be upset if you move in with another guy?”
“My girlfriend won't mind.” Olivia looks down at her cup for a moment when she says it, but then meets Danny's eyes again to evaluate his reaction. “She might try to introduce you to her sister, though.”
“Uh.” Danny knows it doesn't sound particularly intelligent, or articulated, but he's truthfully surprised. Part of him thinks that it's a pity for the men on the island, really, but the other is unbelievingly relieved. Danny hasn't stopped liking girls overnight - just like he hasn't started liking guys overnight - in fact he's still a big fan, and living with an attractive girl who could reciprocate the interest isn't a wise idea while you're trying to get over your very male partner. Things could get very confused, very fast. And not in a good way.
Olivia misinterprets his silence and takes a deep breath. “Is that a problem?”
“Honestly?” Danny makes a little pause, just make sure he really means it. He does. “No, it's not.” You have no idea how much of not a problem it is, he thinks, but doesn't say it out loud, because it would require too many explanations he's not willing to give. Somehow, in his head, it’s way better to live with an attractive lesbian woman you might want to bang when you’re a little drunk - but obviously can’t -, than live with the gorgeous partner you’d do even when you’re sober - but obviously can’t. He’s not sure it’s a proper and legitimate rationalization, but he’ll willing to go with it.
Olivia smiles widely at him and finally relaxes her posture, leaning back in the chair, and Danny knows he gave the right answer.
~~
Later that night, he's back at Steve's place. They're on the couch, but since it's a working night, Danny's only sipping a glass of ice tea, not beer. However, he still feels mildly fazed about that morning's chat. He’s done the background check, a few calls to the local college and even called some of the girl’s old neighbors; everything seems to suggest she’s not, in fact, any kind of sociopath psycho-killer who’s plotting to infiltrate his life in order to assassinate McGarrett and blame it on him.
Okay, so he needs to lay off the spy movies. Fine. Still, he can’t help feeling hopeful that he might have found a living arrangement that includes the possibility of pets - he’s phoned Olivia to find out her take on that - and excludes ghosts of old ladies. And for half the price he thought he would have to pay.
“Today I had the craziest conversation of my life,” he informs when Steve sits down next to him, taking control of the remote. (Again, Steve's house, guests don't get to complain about TV channels.)
“Uh?” It's the articulate answer he gets, but understands that Steve wants him to elaborate. And really, it's a good thing Danny can read his looks and grunts so well, or conversation between them would be a comic disaster to say the least.
Danny proceeds to tell him about the visit to the apartment and about Olivia showing up as the second buyer. When he's done recapping the chat at the café, he sips from his tea and looks at Steve.
“Are you out of your mind?” is the first thing his friend tells him. “The first time you saw this girl, she broke a suspect’s nose with her elbow, she’s probably a psycho.”
“Because you, on the other hand, are such a stable person,” Danny objects, and Steve doesn't seem to have much to answer that with. “Besides, I can't stay here.”
“Why not?” Danny is mildly convinced Steve looks hurt by those words, and that's a thought he'll have to chew on, later.
“Because first, you won't let me pay for anything and that makes me really uncomfortable,” Danny says and it's not the first time they've talked about that, but Steve seems deaf to it. “Second, we work together all day, all week. We can't live together too, we'll kill each other sooner or later.”
“So you want to go live with a complete stranger,” Steve declares as a matter of fact. “Who happens to be a really hot girl.”
“A really hot lesbian,” Danny corrects him and smirks at the surprise on his friend's face. “What? I'm open-minded, and besides, that will keep trouble away.”
“Sounds like you've made a decision.” It's a quiet mutter and Danny can't shake the feeling that he's taken a false step, but he just doesn't know what it is. He clears his throat to ease the lump he feels there, but it's not particularly effective.
“The background search came back all clear,” Danny tells him, like that’s a good enough reason to live with that person. She's not a criminal, and he can't say the same about a lot of people he's met since coming to the island. “She's just a regular med student.”
“Good, then,” Steve says, then takes a deep breath. “But when you have to wait half an hour out of the bathroom in the morning, don't say I didn't warn you.”
“I was married, babe, I know how to live with a woman,” Danny laughs, thinking that yeah, maybe Steve does have a point on that, but he also knows he can make it work. “Will you help me move my stuff? Again?”
“Sure,” Steve says, but his eyes are back to the television, even though it’s clear he’s not really watching the documentary about baby seals.
Ha, baby seals!, Danny laughs internally, in a moment of profound stupidity of which he’s strangely proud, and he can’t keep his mouth shut on that one. “So, that’s actually what your babies will look like?”
Steve makes the connection after a few seconds and the unbelieving laughter he gives is enough to make everything alright, at least for the moment.
~~
The next person he tells is Rachel, of course; he doesn’t want her to hear it from somewhere else and get the wrong idea. He knows she’s just as open-minded as he is - well, maybe not as he is, but open-minded enough - and won’t make a fuss about his new roommate’s sexual orientation, but he tells her anyway. Of course telling Grace will be a whole different story, but they can work it out, somehow.
The rest of the team comes after that, and he’s not surprised when Chin only comments it with one of his subtle grins, while Kono congratulates him on the new house, paying no mind to the rest of the details; Lori, on the other hand, makes a joke about him being the girl in the house, now. He loves these guys so much. So much. And no, he’s only half-sarcastic.
Two days later, he meets with both Olivia and Laura, the real estate agent, and they sign the contract, effectively becoming roommates. It’s such an unusual word in his day-to-day dictionary that it makes him feel ten years younger, and he likes Olivia a little more just for that.
The moving process, however, makes him feel about fifty years older, because really, it’s great to live on the fifth floor, with the view and all, just not when the elevator is out of service and you’re trying to move your extremely heavy boxes into your new home.
He’s let Olivia choose the bedroom first, he is a gentleman after all, but called dibs on getting his stuff in first, and now he’s quite regretting that. He’s surprised, however, when Olivia shows up to give him a hand, right after lunch.
“You shouldn’t have,” Danny tells her with a wide smile, when she walks in. Then he notices she’s not alone.
“I didn’t have much to do anyway, my classes are over for the day,” Olivia explains, resting a small box on the ground. “This is Kay, my girlfriend.”
Danny shakes her hand and takes a moment to realize how unfair the world is to straight men. Kay is tall and thin, clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top, but she’s not nearly tanned enough for a local, so he assumes she’s an haole too, like Olivia - who, as it turns out, is actually from Washington DC - and him; the moment she speaks, her British accent is enough of an answer. She almost looks like she’s made of glass, but her strawberry blond hair is tied up in a practical way and her dark brown eyes are quick and attentive.
He makes the necessary introductions between the girls and the team, and gets all of them some cold ice tea from where he’s stashed it in the fridge earlier. He feels good, satisfied and proud... at least until he looks at Steve. His partner is smiling broadly and flirting his way into Olivia and Kay’s good graces. Seriously, not even knowing the girls are gayer than Ellen DeGeneres can stop him, apparently. For some reason - oh, he knows exactly for which reason - that’s a serious blow to his good mood, and his ego too.
He swallows it down and fishes the glasses out of one of the boxes. Chin helps him out with the task and throws him a careful smirk. “You’re either a masochist or a very clever man.”
“Try both,” Danny suggests and right then, he’s so grateful to his friend for the laughter, he could hug him. This moving thing is starting to get a little too emotional for his liking.
“Have you decided which kind of pet you’re going to get?” Lori asks when Danny and Chin join them again.
Danny doesn’t hesitate to say “Dog.” in the exact same moment Olivia says “Cat.”
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Kono declares with a wide grin and crosses her arms against her chest.
Eventually, with some substantial fun for their friends, they settle for getting a hamster and just see how it goes before they switch to the bigger leagues. Danny is pretty fine with that, he’s sure his life is going to be confused enough those first days and he’s not sure throwing a big, demanding pet in the picture is ideal.
By the end of the afternoon, all the boxes are in the house and open, and most of the team has gone home. Kay had to leave for work - Olivia told them she’s a waitress in a hotel on Kalakaua Avenue, in Waikiki - and Danny finds himself lost among his own things. Olivia and Steve are both still there and he’s grateful for that, because it’s actually a little scary to think about everything he has to do.
“Let’s order in,” Steve proposes, rubbing his hands together. “Then we can help you set the bed and leave you to your miserable task,” he adds, gesturing to the nearby boxes.
“You have such a kind soul,” Danny says sarcastically, and rests a hand on his heart, while the other reaches for the phone.
“Actually, I have to bail here,” Olivia says with a little smile. “I still have some things to sort through.”
“Sure,” Danny agrees and walks her to the door. “Thanks for coming over to help, I really appreciate it,” he adds just as she's walking out. “Let me know when you're bringing your stuff over, I'll help you out.”
“Thanks,” Olivia answers from the corridor. “I think I'll wait for the elevator to be working.”
“Good call.”
Danny closes the door after she's gone and turn around to look at the mess around him. Steve is actually sitting on the floor, between the box containing all of his DVDs and the one containing all of his underwear. He should probably find it embarrassing, but the second box is still sealed, so he relaxes. He realizes his mistake when Steve fishes out a DVD and laughs out loud.
“What now?”
“You own Snakes on a plane on DVD?” Steve can't stop laughing. “It's pretty rich from someone who allegedly hates Hawaii to bits.”
“That movie just proves me right,” Danny pushes back his sleeves, force of habit, and sinks his hands in his pockets as he approaches him.
“Is there anything here you've warmed up to?”
Yeah, you animal, you, he wants to say, but settles for a simple, “Surely not pineapple pizza.”
“C'mon, I'm serious.” He's probably not, since he's still grinning like a lunatic, but Danny gives him the benefit of the doubt.
“Let's just say I've gotten used to some things,” Danny just says, reaching for the phone.
“Like what?” Steve seems skeptical, but in an amused way, and Danny is relieved he's not offended.
“Like offering you dinner,” Danny answers and throws him the phone. Steve catches it in one hand and laughs, but doesn't protest. Danny is not fond of calling the delivery and he knows it. “And no pineapple on my pizza, or I'll kill you with the first thing I can find in this boxes.”
~~
Danny manages to unpack pretty quickly, so when they get caught up in a big case, he's got everything under control. They're trying to catch a guy,Kalir Hamar, responsible for illegally smuggling women into the country for an elite escort service, but the problem is that their suspect is pretty well connected and they don't have much to work on.
They've been going in circles for a week when Chin finds them a good lead through the computer of one of Hamar's underlings. It not a big lead, but it's big enough for them to get a search warrant for their suspect's house.
When they get to the house, which looks like a freaking castle to Danny, Hamar has already lawyered-up. They go through his personal bedroom and through three different guest bedrooms, the huge kitchen, the three bathrooms, the library, the dining room, the basement and the garage - the son of a bitch has a freaking Lamborghini -, but eventually they find what they are looking for in the garden.
Well, if he kept incriminating evidence on his own property - hidden, yes, but still on his property -, Hamar probably never expected a judge to be ballsy enough to sign a warrant against him; and definitely he couldn't imagine the Governor would actually take the matter in his own hands and call a judge who used to be his college buddy. Who also happened to owe him a favor. A major one. All in all, Danny is pretty satisfied about how the case gets wrapped up.
No one gets shot, no one gets run over by a car when the suspect tries desperately to get away - even though he has to admit that if he had to be run over by a car, he'd want it to be a Lamborghini - and, most importantly, it's all over before the weekend, which means he will be able to spend time with Grace.
His good mood seems to attract some attention when they get back to the office.
“Are you going on a date?” Lori asks with a raised eyebrow, when she catches him whistling a tune.
“Weekend with Grace,” Steve answers without looking up from the file he's reading, but Danny can see he's smiling - an actual smile, not his smug, incredibly irritating grin.
And really, he could kiss him, right now. And not for the usual reason. It's just so good to have someone who can read him that well, who just gets him. It's almost scary how used he's gotten to that; and that's mostly why he'll never tell Steve anything about his feelings, he won't risk losing that kind of friendship, he treasures it too much. Steve's voice once again distracts him from that train of thoughts. “Should I expect you two?”
“Yeah, I thought I'd bring her around to say hi, if you don't mind,” Danny says with a shrug, trying to sound casual; he’s not sure where they stand, since they haven’t exactly talked much since he’s moved out. But hey, it was never supposed to be permanent, so why should there be a problem?
Steve stops on the doorstep of his office and, when he turns, he’s still smiling broadly. “I never mind.”
So, apparently, Danny isn’t the only one who’s been worrying about how his new living arrangements would affect their friendship.
~
Two hours later, he parks the car in the assigned space and locks it; he’s not whistling anymore, that much paperwork would take a toll on anyone’s good mood, but at least he’s home and his new couch is really quite comfortable.
He enters the apartment and the catchy chorus of All right now greets him from the stereo Olivia apparently placed next to the TV. She’s sitting on the floor, busy with opening one of the boxes, and looks up when he comes in.
“Hey, I see you’ve settled in,” Danny says, locking the door after himself. “I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help you out. Big arrest today.”
“Don't worry, Jersey,” she answers with a smile, and really, why did he tell her he’s from New Jersey? “The elevator did most of the work anyway.”
“Need help with unpacking?” Danny goes for the fridge and takes a beer for himself and one for his roommate. It’s their first night in the house together, he intends to be a gentleman. “Or, you know, moving stuff.”
“I could use some help with this,” Olivia admits and accepts the beer gladly; Danny looks at what she’s working on, and from the illustration on the really, ridiculously small piece of paper - are those supposed to be instructions? - he can tell it’s a small library, the kind you buy at Ikea.
“No problem,” Danny sits down next to her on the floor and eyes the pieces doubtfully. “Where will it go?”
“My room,” Olivia tells him, biting her lower lip. “I need extra space for my college books.”
“We should do this in the bedroom then, because it may not fit through the door once it’s assembled.” Danny takes the instructions page and turns it around about five times before he figures out which way he’s supposed to read it. “And I really don’t want to find that out once we’ve finished it.”
“Good thinking,” Olivia agrees and starts collecting the pieces to move them to the right room. Right then, Danny’s stomach grumbles and rubs it absent-mindedly. “Have you eaten anything?”
Danny thinks about it for a moment, then stands from the floor in one slow move. “No, not since lunch, I think.”
“I left you some Ratatouille in the fridge,” Olivia calls on her way to her room with the first batch of panels and screws. “I wasn’t sure if you liked it--”
“Are you kidding? I love it,” Danny beams, trotting to the kitchen in a hurry. “I haven’t eaten it since I left New Jersey,” he adds as he takes the plate from the fridge, then stops to look at it, suspicious. “There’s no pineapple in it, is there?”
“Why would there be pineapple in the Ratatouille?” Olivia stares at him wide-eyed when she joins him in the kitchen.
“Because pineapple is everywhere on this island,” Danny mutters, and it earns him a quiet, yet still confused laughter. “Wait, you managed to move your stuff inand cook Ratatouille, today?”
“I wish,” Olivia huffs out and sits opposite to him at the counter that kind of separated the kitchen area from the living room. “Kay made it, she thought we might be hungry.”
“Okay, fine, you win,” Danny says and raises his hands, interrupting for a moment the task of putting the dish in the microwave. “Living with a vegetarian isn’t hell.”
“Well, wow,” Olivia laughs, looking at her watch. “It took you all of ten minutes to change your mind?”
“Thank Kay. Besides, what can I say, I’m open-minded.” Danny shrugs, then waits for the microwave to finish and pulls his plate out. “What about you? Think you can live with a cow murderer?”
“You catch human murderers, so I guess you balance your karma well enough,” Olivia points out, matter-of-factly. “That’s a yes, by the way.”
“You really believe in this karma thing, don’t you?” Danny takes a first mouthful and half-closes his eyes, savoring the surprisingly spicy taste; it’s definitely different from his mom’s Ratatouille, but not in a bad way.
“It doesn’t hurt to,” she admits with a brief shrug, and right then the doorbells rings and she goes to answer it. “It’s for you!” she calls after a moment.
Danny puts his fork down and joins her at the door, where a courier is standing with a package in his hands and a slightly annoyed expression. “Special express delivery,” the guy - a boy in his late twenties with a military haircut - informs with a blank tone. “Sign here, please.”
Danny’s eyebrows shoot up, but he takes the form and reads, just to make sure it really is for him. Who would have his new address so quickly? He signs in the designated spot and gives the form back to the courier, while Olivia walks back to the living room to tune down the stereo a bit. It’s getting late and they don’t want to make enemies among the neighbors just yet.
“Thanks,” Danny tells the guy as he takes the box, still uncertain.
“Thanks to you, sir,” the boy replies, and his tone is still impersonal, but at least it’s a little warmer. “Have a good night.”
Danny watches him go, then kicks the door closed and locks it, still not entirely sure the courier isn’t a ninja assassin in disguise who just delivered a bomb. Fine, hewill lay off the spy movies. As if reading his mind, Olivia asks, “Could it be a bomb?”
“I surely hope not.” Danny holds the box next to his ear and shakes it just enough to ear a shuffling sound inside. Like a ball moving around. He curses when his phone rings and they both jump. He opens the text message and reads out loud, “Open it, paranoid freak.”
“McGarrett?” Olivia tries with a tentative smile, probably trying to figure out whether it’s safe or not to be around.
“Yeah,” Danny confirms with a smirk as he puts the box on the couch. He fishes a pair of scissors from somewhere on the floor and proceeds to open the package with care; he’s still not entirely sure it’s not a bomb, it’s McGarrett they’re talking about, after all. When he sees what’s inside he blinks a few times, unbelieving, then bursts into the most heartfelt laughter he’s had all week.
“What is it?” Olivia doesn’t try to look inside and he would appreciate the gesture, if he wasn’t so busy muttering warmhearted insults towards his partner, still laughing.
He gestures her to come look, while he stands and flips his phone open. By the time Steve picks up, he’s done laughing, but he’s sure his partner can tell he’s still grinning like a lunatic. “I’m going to kill you slowly,” he warns without leaving him the time to say anything. “You’re going to pay for this, babe.”
The only answer he receives is unrestrained laughter and he feels something in his chest flip pleasantly at the thought that yes, Steve is still right there, no matter where he lives. He looks inside the box again and shakes his head, while Olivia laughs quietly against her knuckles.
Attached to the pineapple, there’s a small note that says ‘Just a little housewarming gift. Steve’.
~~
A/N: first of all, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and don’t worry, the story is already finished, so I’ll post regularly.
What else? A special thanks goes to my friend V., who patiently helped me out when I got stuck. He’s not exactly a slash fan, so his effort was especially appreciated. <3
Well, I guess it’s all for now, let me know what you think. (And yes, Olivia was inspired by Olivia Wilde. I love the girl, I can’t help it. LOL)
See you next week :D
JM
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Rating: mostly R, but it gets NC-17 later on
Warnings: slash, presence of OCs. They also work a case, sort of.
Words: about 30,000
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, unfortunately. Title borrowed from Bon Jovi.
Notes: I’d like to point out that I do not share Danny’s view of Hawaii, I think it’s a gorgeous place. Also, I love pineapples.
Summary: Danny is having a hard time finding a new living arrangement and things get even more complicated when he has to deal with a new roommate, a high-profile case and a car accident that endangers someone he cares about. Also, pineapples occur.
Crossposted
~~
1. The one where Danny needs to move out, like, yesterday
They’re chasing a guy down a crowded street in Honolulu, and that is definitely not how Danny pictured his Saturday afternoon going. Not one bit. He swallows that thought for maybe the thirteenth time since the drug dealer they’re trying to arrest decided he was feeling like taking a jog once he spotted their badges. A very fast, zigzagging jog in a street full of people who are enjoying a very normal, relaxing Saturday afternoon.
Steve is a few steps ahead of him, of course he is, and for some reason even that adds to the frustration of the whole situation. Then, suddenly, the suspect takes a turn into an alley and Steve turns for a second to glance at his partner.
“Stay on him!”
“Stay on him? What d’you mean stay--” Danny doesn’t even bother to finish that sentence and turns left too, keeping his eyes on the suspect, while Steve just runs straight. Danny makes a mental eye roll and paces his breath, reducing the distance a little. So Steve thinks he can circle the block and outrun the nineteen years old they’re chasing, fine.
Apparently, he can, because the moment they reach the end of the alley, where it pours back into another crowded street, Steve is right there, holding his gun. At least he has the decency to be out of breath, Danny thinks.
The kid, however, doesn’t seem to be impressed with the ex-SEAL’s running skills and charges him with an angered growl. Steve is surely not expecting that and he almost ends up on his ass on the sidewalk. Danny is tempted to tease him, but decides against it; he wouldn’t want to waste such an opportunity with a poor assembled joke, he’s going to treasure that moment and squeeze every inch of fun he can get from it.
By the time Steve gets his ground again and resumes running, the kid is in the middle of the crowd, several feet ahead of them. Then, suddenly, he’s lying on the sidewalk, groaning in pain.
Through the swarming mass of people, Danny vaguely recognizes a woman’s features standing over him, her bent arm still extended from where she elbowed him in the face. His brain hands him the most reasonable answer: Lori or Kono outran both of them.
Instead, when they get there, there’s a complete stranger, a civilian - a very good looking one, but still a civilian -, who’s rubbing her elbow with a pained expression. “That surely didn’t seem so painful on TV.”
“You crazy bitch, I’m going to sue you,” the kid snarls, while Steve turns him on his stomach and cuffs him. He’s bleeding from his nose and upper lip, and the girl looks more distressed by the blood than the words. Those, Danny’s not ever sure she’s heard.
“Yeah, I’m sure you can find a great lawyer to sue her from jail,” Danny tells him, while Steve drags the guy to his feet. “You better find one for yourself first, though.”
Steve grins at those words and pushes the drug dealer towards Kono’s car, which just pulled up next to where they’re standing. Seeing that the situation is under control, Danny approaches the girl, trying to evaluate her state of mind. He studies her for a moment; she has long brown hair - just reaching her shoulder blades -, wavy but not curly, piercing green eyes and a facial bone structure that would make Lori jealous. “Are you alright?”
She’s still rubbing her elbow in a kind of absent way and her eyes are following Steve. Of course they are. But Danny can’t really blame her for that: Steve, even from behind - especially from behind, his mind suggests - is quite a view. She seems to realize Danny’s waiting for her to say something and shakes out of her silence. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she breathes out, sounding much less shaken that Danny expected. “What’s the matter with that guy? What did he do?”
“Ongoing investigation, can’t discuss it,” Danny offers with a smile. “Have you ever seen him before?”
“Nope,” she looks one last time at the guy while the car door closes after him, then focuses completely on Danny. “He’s not some kind of serial killer, right? I mean, he’s not gonna come after me with a horrible set of surgical equipment or something?”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Danny reassures her with a solemn nod. “He just won one long vacation to Jailland, so he won’t be bothering you, Miss--” he leaves the sentence suspended, waiting for her to finish.
“Kostan,” she offers with a smile. “Olivia Kostan. Do I need to sign a statement?” Right then, a thought seems to strike her. “You are HPD, right?”
“We’re Five-0,” Danny corrects her, honestly amused that only then she thought she might be helping the wrong guys. He can see her suspect melt away after his words. “Thanks for your cooperation, Miss Kostan, and no, that won’t be necessary.” Writing that the suspect simply bumped into the girl will save them so much work, but he doesn’t tell her that part.
“Good.” Olivia looks relieved and she reaches for something in her pocket, her cell phone. “This has to be the craziest day I had since I set foot on this island.”
“It gets crazier,” Danny says with a grin, but then thinks that no, it doesn’t get crazier, unless you’re friends with McGarrett. “Thanks again for the incredibly reckless gesture. Do you need to see a medic about that arm?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She moves it tentatively, then shakes her head. “Is it okay if I go, detective?”
“Williams,” Danny offers, even thought he’s not sure she’s asking. “Sure, go ahead, and have a less insane day.”
She actually laughs at those words and Danny is glad she isn’t so mentally scarred to lose her sense of humor. For some reason, he’s also glad she has one to begin with; no one without it can survive the island. He's not even kidding, this place is like an enormous joke, sometimes. “I’ll try, and you too.”
Danny watches her dial a number on her cell phone and walk away quickly, checking her watch. The truth is, if he wasn’t so desperately, hopelessly and pathetically in love with his current partner, roommate and probably best friend, he would go for it, ask her for her number. Instead, he lets her go, feeling like he should be way more interested - in a romantic fashion - in her than he is. Crap, McGarrett really is bad for him all around.
~~
So yes, he’s still kind of homeless and yes, he’s staying at Steve’s, but he doesn’t feel like he lives there, since he sleeps on the couch and doesn’t spill a penny for the bills. He really wouldn’t mind sleeping in Steve’s bed and paying half of the expenses, but Steve offered him a place to stay while he found a new apartment, not marriage.
Which is probably why it has to stop as soon as it can. Because being that close to Steve all day, and most part of the evening too, is driving Danny crazy. Sure, he enjoys having someone he can talk to without picking up the phone and he loves watching stupid movies with Steve and laugh about them.
But then there’s other stuff. Catherine, for instance. She spent two days there the previous week and Danny can’t shake the feeling that she knows, she knows and even hinted that Danny should do what he has to do, that she would be happy for him; she added a wink too, and no, she’s not a master in subtlety.
And then there’s a hundred more things, like the ungodly hour Steve wakes up in the morning, making a hell of a noise in the kitchen and furthermore preventing Danny from sleeping, too. Or the way Steve never has any type of junk food in the fridge and scowls at him when he buys some. But he’s the guest, and he can’t ask Steve to change his habits for him.
That hurts him a little, if he wants to be honest.
But he doesn’t want to be honest, not while they’re both sitting on the couch, enjoying a perfectly good game on TV and drinking beer. They wrapped up the case after catching the dealer and miraculously got a confession, though Steve’s hints at the shark cage accident probably played a big role.
“It was kind of fun today,” Danny says with a half-grin. “The way that girl floored him.”
“It was reckless,” Steve deadpans with a straight face, and Danny immediately thinks he must be joking. “She could have gotten herself killed.”
“Says the guy who jumps out of moving cars on a regular basis,” Danny points out with an unbelieving laughter.
“I don’t,” Steve protests. “Not on a regular basis, at least.”
“Babe, Grace, my beloved daughter who sees you twice a month, made a picture of you jumping from a moving car,” he replies with his best ‘cut the shit’ tone, then remembers something he’s meant to ask Steve. “By the way, did you talk to her about the job when she was here last week?”
“I might have.” Steve looks positively guilty and tries to hide it by taking a long gulp from his beer.
“D’you read Braille?” Danny half-turns on the couch to stare at him, deadly serious. He can see the confusion on Steve’s face at the random question, but doesn’t give him the time to ask. “Because maybe, if I carve it into your hand in Braille alphabet, you will remember that you’re not supposed to tell Gracie about that kind of stuff.”
“She asked.” Steve holds up his hands in a helpless kind of way - palms up, fingers casually extended - that really doesn’t suit him.
“What are you, five?” Danny throws his hands in the air, exasperated, and doesn't miss the mix of guilt and amusement that lights up Steve's eyes. “Wait, maybe you are,” he pauses, letting a small grin stretch his lips. “I mean, with the way you went down when that teenager tackled you--”
But Steve doesn't let him finish, he turns slightly on his side to mirror his position. “I did not go down.”
“You were this close,” Danny reminds him, holding his hand up and keeping his thumb and index barely an inch apart. “But hey, it's okay, I guess it's to be expected with old age.”
“You're having fun with this, aren't you?” Steve stares at him, eyes narrowed and lips set in a straight line.
“So much fun,” Danny confirms, not one bit regretting the wide grin he's sporting.
“I hate you.” Steve turns back to the television screen, but Danny can see he's trying to fight a smile.
He wants to answer with something incredibly stupid, like 'I don't. I actually love you to bits, you stupid animal', but he manages to keep his tongue in check. When he's positive Steve is glancing at him, he draws a heart in the air with his fingers. Steve actually laughs out loud, probably remembering the gesture from their unfortunate trip in the woods.
It's not as good as spilling his beans, but it's good enough to placate the insane instinct that tells him to just jump the guy's bones and to hell with working together and Steve being a super ninja SEAL with a fine taste in women.
Yes, he needs to move out, like, yesterday.
~~
When, two weeks later, he finally finds an apartment he likes - good neighborhood, cable, pro-pet policy and no ghosts -, he almost cries with relief. The price is slightly higher than he expected to be paying, but he can afford it and he's not going to let it slip away.
Unfortunately, luck is not on his side on this one.
“Mister Williams,” the real estate agent addresses him with an apologetic smile. “I'm afraid there's a problem.”
He really hates this island. He's not sure what that has to do with said problem, but he just feels like repeating that in his mind, it simply makes him feel better. “What problem?”
“We had another offer, right this morning,” the woman, Laura, tells him, walking into the partially furnished kitchen-space; it opens directly into the living room and Danny loves that, too.
“How much more are we talking about?” Danny braces himself for the financial slap in the face he's about to receive.
Right then, someone knocks on the door and for a moment he swears he sees panic on Laura's face. She checks her watch and takes a deep breath, and even though Danny is no telepath, he can guess she screwed up and put the two appointments too close together. Also, Danny was twenty minutes late, thanks to the traffic, so it's technically his fault.
“I promise I will be civil,” Danny says and gestures towards the door, and he really wants to add 'I'm not McGarrett', but this woman doesn't know him. Lucky her, he thinks, rather unfairly.
Laura nods, unconvinced, and goes to open the door. She doesn't have the time to say anything, though.
“Miss Kostan?” Danny almost drops his cell phone along with his jaw, but manages to keep it together.
“Detective Williams?” Olivia frowns and looks around, possibly looking for a murder scene or something equally gruesome. And really, it's not really that great to be associated with massacre and blood, but he's kind of used to it by now.
“You made the second offer?”
“You made the first one?” is all the answer she gives him, and it's quite enough.
“Maybe I should discuss this privately with each of you,” Laura suggests,cringing.
“We're both adults, I think we can settle this between us, live civil human beings,” Danny proposes, not too willing to let Laura take the lead; it would prolong things too much and he wants to be done with it as soon as he can. “How about coffee?”
“Right now?” Olivia seems surprised, but she doesn't look like she's against the idea of working the issue out without the aid of the real estate agent. Danny likes her more and more every second. And he curses McGarrett, just for good measure.
“I still have time before going back to work,” Danny informs with a shrug, waiting for her to make a decision. “There's a great coffee shop right across the street.” Which is also a big plus for the apartment, in his book.
“Lead the way,” Olivia accepts after a quick glance in Laura's direction. The real estate agent looks like someone just pulled a painful splinter out of her eye, the sheer relief on her face is somewhat comic.
Danny addresses her a nod and tells her they'll let her know what they come up with, then gestures Olivia to the door in a 'girls first' fashion. She's highly amused, but doesn't comment on it.
They find a good table in the back garden of the coffee shop, where a bunch of exotic-looking plants make Danny want to sneeze at the mere sight. They're probably local plants, but hell will freeze over before he gets used to all the crazy plants with unbelievingly weird shapes those islands host.
They both get coffee and they sit quietly for a minute, waiting for the waitress to walk away with their order.
“I really love this apartment,” Danny admits out loud, and he's not proud about the slightly whiny sound of it.
“Me too.” Olivia doesn't sound neither aggressive or defensive, she's refreshingly neutral and apparently she understands the hell that is finding a decent apartment with a decent prize in the city.
“Should we toss a coin?” Danny shrugs and that earns him a grin from the girl. Right then, their coffees arrive at record time. Danny doesn't waste a second and immediately sips from it, needing the caffeine to go through the bargaining process. That turns out to be a mistake.
“We could share,” Olivia proposes with a careless tone that makes him wonder, between sputters, if she's maybe one of Steve's long lost relative.
“Excuse me?” He tries to sound like he doesn't think she's crazy, but right now he does think that.
“It's reasonable,” Olivia continues, a little embarrassed by his reaction. “We both like it, and since you seem like a good guy, I don't wanna attract some bad karma by stealing it from you,” she explains with a very reasonable tone that calms him down a little. “On the other hand, you owe me for helping you catch that guy.”
“We would have caught him,” Danny protests, his pride itching just below his throat.
“Eventually,” Olivia adds, smiling a little; but it's careful, like she's maybe rethinking about her proposition.
“Eventually,” Danny admits, just to make her feel better. They would have caught the guy pretty quickly, thank you very much.
Olivia nods slowly and takes a long sip from the coffee. “So?” she tries after several seconds of silence. “Think about it, half the rent to pay and someone to share laundry chores with,” she points out, then her eyes wonder down to his chest briefly. “You do seem to own a lot of ties for someone who lives here.”
“I do admit I'd love to pay half the money,” Danny confesses in a moment of weakness; then, for some reason, he feels the need to add, “And I don't wear as many ties as I used to, thank you.”
So the ties are still a touchy subject, even though he doesn't wear them any more at work. Mostly. Sometimes he does slip back in his routine, but only on the bad days. Or bad weeks.
“Besides, you’re a cop, which would make me feel safer,” Olivia tells him, cupping her coffee with both her hands. Danny decides that's actually reasonable, but only if you don’t live with McGarrett. It's frustrating how all his thoughts go back to that one place.
“I'll think about it,” Danny eventually says, while in his head he's thinking only two words: background check. Because he's seriously considering the thing, but he's not stupid enough to venture into something like that without being a hundred percent sure it's safe. “Won't your boyfriend be upset if you move in with another guy?”
“My girlfriend won't mind.” Olivia looks down at her cup for a moment when she says it, but then meets Danny's eyes again to evaluate his reaction. “She might try to introduce you to her sister, though.”
“Uh.” Danny knows it doesn't sound particularly intelligent, or articulated, but he's truthfully surprised. Part of him thinks that it's a pity for the men on the island, really, but the other is unbelievingly relieved. Danny hasn't stopped liking girls overnight - just like he hasn't started liking guys overnight - in fact he's still a big fan, and living with an attractive girl who could reciprocate the interest isn't a wise idea while you're trying to get over your very male partner. Things could get very confused, very fast. And not in a good way.
Olivia misinterprets his silence and takes a deep breath. “Is that a problem?”
“Honestly?” Danny makes a little pause, just make sure he really means it. He does. “No, it's not.” You have no idea how much of not a problem it is, he thinks, but doesn't say it out loud, because it would require too many explanations he's not willing to give. Somehow, in his head, it’s way better to live with an attractive lesbian woman you might want to bang when you’re a little drunk - but obviously can’t -, than live with the gorgeous partner you’d do even when you’re sober - but obviously can’t. He’s not sure it’s a proper and legitimate rationalization, but he’ll willing to go with it.
Olivia smiles widely at him and finally relaxes her posture, leaning back in the chair, and Danny knows he gave the right answer.
~~
Later that night, he's back at Steve's place. They're on the couch, but since it's a working night, Danny's only sipping a glass of ice tea, not beer. However, he still feels mildly fazed about that morning's chat. He’s done the background check, a few calls to the local college and even called some of the girl’s old neighbors; everything seems to suggest she’s not, in fact, any kind of sociopath psycho-killer who’s plotting to infiltrate his life in order to assassinate McGarrett and blame it on him.
Okay, so he needs to lay off the spy movies. Fine. Still, he can’t help feeling hopeful that he might have found a living arrangement that includes the possibility of pets - he’s phoned Olivia to find out her take on that - and excludes ghosts of old ladies. And for half the price he thought he would have to pay.
“Today I had the craziest conversation of my life,” he informs when Steve sits down next to him, taking control of the remote. (Again, Steve's house, guests don't get to complain about TV channels.)
“Uh?” It's the articulate answer he gets, but understands that Steve wants him to elaborate. And really, it's a good thing Danny can read his looks and grunts so well, or conversation between them would be a comic disaster to say the least.
Danny proceeds to tell him about the visit to the apartment and about Olivia showing up as the second buyer. When he's done recapping the chat at the café, he sips from his tea and looks at Steve.
“Are you out of your mind?” is the first thing his friend tells him. “The first time you saw this girl, she broke a suspect’s nose with her elbow, she’s probably a psycho.”
“Because you, on the other hand, are such a stable person,” Danny objects, and Steve doesn't seem to have much to answer that with. “Besides, I can't stay here.”
“Why not?” Danny is mildly convinced Steve looks hurt by those words, and that's a thought he'll have to chew on, later.
“Because first, you won't let me pay for anything and that makes me really uncomfortable,” Danny says and it's not the first time they've talked about that, but Steve seems deaf to it. “Second, we work together all day, all week. We can't live together too, we'll kill each other sooner or later.”
“So you want to go live with a complete stranger,” Steve declares as a matter of fact. “Who happens to be a really hot girl.”
“A really hot lesbian,” Danny corrects him and smirks at the surprise on his friend's face. “What? I'm open-minded, and besides, that will keep trouble away.”
“Sounds like you've made a decision.” It's a quiet mutter and Danny can't shake the feeling that he's taken a false step, but he just doesn't know what it is. He clears his throat to ease the lump he feels there, but it's not particularly effective.
“The background search came back all clear,” Danny tells him, like that’s a good enough reason to live with that person. She's not a criminal, and he can't say the same about a lot of people he's met since coming to the island. “She's just a regular med student.”
“Good, then,” Steve says, then takes a deep breath. “But when you have to wait half an hour out of the bathroom in the morning, don't say I didn't warn you.”
“I was married, babe, I know how to live with a woman,” Danny laughs, thinking that yeah, maybe Steve does have a point on that, but he also knows he can make it work. “Will you help me move my stuff? Again?”
“Sure,” Steve says, but his eyes are back to the television, even though it’s clear he’s not really watching the documentary about baby seals.
Ha, baby seals!, Danny laughs internally, in a moment of profound stupidity of which he’s strangely proud, and he can’t keep his mouth shut on that one. “So, that’s actually what your babies will look like?”
Steve makes the connection after a few seconds and the unbelieving laughter he gives is enough to make everything alright, at least for the moment.
~~
The next person he tells is Rachel, of course; he doesn’t want her to hear it from somewhere else and get the wrong idea. He knows she’s just as open-minded as he is - well, maybe not as he is, but open-minded enough - and won’t make a fuss about his new roommate’s sexual orientation, but he tells her anyway. Of course telling Grace will be a whole different story, but they can work it out, somehow.
The rest of the team comes after that, and he’s not surprised when Chin only comments it with one of his subtle grins, while Kono congratulates him on the new house, paying no mind to the rest of the details; Lori, on the other hand, makes a joke about him being the girl in the house, now. He loves these guys so much. So much. And no, he’s only half-sarcastic.
Two days later, he meets with both Olivia and Laura, the real estate agent, and they sign the contract, effectively becoming roommates. It’s such an unusual word in his day-to-day dictionary that it makes him feel ten years younger, and he likes Olivia a little more just for that.
The moving process, however, makes him feel about fifty years older, because really, it’s great to live on the fifth floor, with the view and all, just not when the elevator is out of service and you’re trying to move your extremely heavy boxes into your new home.
He’s let Olivia choose the bedroom first, he is a gentleman after all, but called dibs on getting his stuff in first, and now he’s quite regretting that. He’s surprised, however, when Olivia shows up to give him a hand, right after lunch.
“You shouldn’t have,” Danny tells her with a wide smile, when she walks in. Then he notices she’s not alone.
“I didn’t have much to do anyway, my classes are over for the day,” Olivia explains, resting a small box on the ground. “This is Kay, my girlfriend.”
Danny shakes her hand and takes a moment to realize how unfair the world is to straight men. Kay is tall and thin, clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top, but she’s not nearly tanned enough for a local, so he assumes she’s an haole too, like Olivia - who, as it turns out, is actually from Washington DC - and him; the moment she speaks, her British accent is enough of an answer. She almost looks like she’s made of glass, but her strawberry blond hair is tied up in a practical way and her dark brown eyes are quick and attentive.
He makes the necessary introductions between the girls and the team, and gets all of them some cold ice tea from where he’s stashed it in the fridge earlier. He feels good, satisfied and proud... at least until he looks at Steve. His partner is smiling broadly and flirting his way into Olivia and Kay’s good graces. Seriously, not even knowing the girls are gayer than Ellen DeGeneres can stop him, apparently. For some reason - oh, he knows exactly for which reason - that’s a serious blow to his good mood, and his ego too.
He swallows it down and fishes the glasses out of one of the boxes. Chin helps him out with the task and throws him a careful smirk. “You’re either a masochist or a very clever man.”
“Try both,” Danny suggests and right then, he’s so grateful to his friend for the laughter, he could hug him. This moving thing is starting to get a little too emotional for his liking.
“Have you decided which kind of pet you’re going to get?” Lori asks when Danny and Chin join them again.
Danny doesn’t hesitate to say “Dog.” in the exact same moment Olivia says “Cat.”
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Kono declares with a wide grin and crosses her arms against her chest.
Eventually, with some substantial fun for their friends, they settle for getting a hamster and just see how it goes before they switch to the bigger leagues. Danny is pretty fine with that, he’s sure his life is going to be confused enough those first days and he’s not sure throwing a big, demanding pet in the picture is ideal.
By the end of the afternoon, all the boxes are in the house and open, and most of the team has gone home. Kay had to leave for work - Olivia told them she’s a waitress in a hotel on Kalakaua Avenue, in Waikiki - and Danny finds himself lost among his own things. Olivia and Steve are both still there and he’s grateful for that, because it’s actually a little scary to think about everything he has to do.
“Let’s order in,” Steve proposes, rubbing his hands together. “Then we can help you set the bed and leave you to your miserable task,” he adds, gesturing to the nearby boxes.
“You have such a kind soul,” Danny says sarcastically, and rests a hand on his heart, while the other reaches for the phone.
“Actually, I have to bail here,” Olivia says with a little smile. “I still have some things to sort through.”
“Sure,” Danny agrees and walks her to the door. “Thanks for coming over to help, I really appreciate it,” he adds just as she's walking out. “Let me know when you're bringing your stuff over, I'll help you out.”
“Thanks,” Olivia answers from the corridor. “I think I'll wait for the elevator to be working.”
“Good call.”
Danny closes the door after she's gone and turn around to look at the mess around him. Steve is actually sitting on the floor, between the box containing all of his DVDs and the one containing all of his underwear. He should probably find it embarrassing, but the second box is still sealed, so he relaxes. He realizes his mistake when Steve fishes out a DVD and laughs out loud.
“What now?”
“You own Snakes on a plane on DVD?” Steve can't stop laughing. “It's pretty rich from someone who allegedly hates Hawaii to bits.”
“That movie just proves me right,” Danny pushes back his sleeves, force of habit, and sinks his hands in his pockets as he approaches him.
“Is there anything here you've warmed up to?”
Yeah, you animal, you, he wants to say, but settles for a simple, “Surely not pineapple pizza.”
“C'mon, I'm serious.” He's probably not, since he's still grinning like a lunatic, but Danny gives him the benefit of the doubt.
“Let's just say I've gotten used to some things,” Danny just says, reaching for the phone.
“Like what?” Steve seems skeptical, but in an amused way, and Danny is relieved he's not offended.
“Like offering you dinner,” Danny answers and throws him the phone. Steve catches it in one hand and laughs, but doesn't protest. Danny is not fond of calling the delivery and he knows it. “And no pineapple on my pizza, or I'll kill you with the first thing I can find in this boxes.”
~~
Danny manages to unpack pretty quickly, so when they get caught up in a big case, he's got everything under control. They're trying to catch a guy,Kalir Hamar, responsible for illegally smuggling women into the country for an elite escort service, but the problem is that their suspect is pretty well connected and they don't have much to work on.
They've been going in circles for a week when Chin finds them a good lead through the computer of one of Hamar's underlings. It not a big lead, but it's big enough for them to get a search warrant for their suspect's house.
When they get to the house, which looks like a freaking castle to Danny, Hamar has already lawyered-up. They go through his personal bedroom and through three different guest bedrooms, the huge kitchen, the three bathrooms, the library, the dining room, the basement and the garage - the son of a bitch has a freaking Lamborghini -, but eventually they find what they are looking for in the garden.
Well, if he kept incriminating evidence on his own property - hidden, yes, but still on his property -, Hamar probably never expected a judge to be ballsy enough to sign a warrant against him; and definitely he couldn't imagine the Governor would actually take the matter in his own hands and call a judge who used to be his college buddy. Who also happened to owe him a favor. A major one. All in all, Danny is pretty satisfied about how the case gets wrapped up.
No one gets shot, no one gets run over by a car when the suspect tries desperately to get away - even though he has to admit that if he had to be run over by a car, he'd want it to be a Lamborghini - and, most importantly, it's all over before the weekend, which means he will be able to spend time with Grace.
His good mood seems to attract some attention when they get back to the office.
“Are you going on a date?” Lori asks with a raised eyebrow, when she catches him whistling a tune.
“Weekend with Grace,” Steve answers without looking up from the file he's reading, but Danny can see he's smiling - an actual smile, not his smug, incredibly irritating grin.
And really, he could kiss him, right now. And not for the usual reason. It's just so good to have someone who can read him that well, who just gets him. It's almost scary how used he's gotten to that; and that's mostly why he'll never tell Steve anything about his feelings, he won't risk losing that kind of friendship, he treasures it too much. Steve's voice once again distracts him from that train of thoughts. “Should I expect you two?”
“Yeah, I thought I'd bring her around to say hi, if you don't mind,” Danny says with a shrug, trying to sound casual; he’s not sure where they stand, since they haven’t exactly talked much since he’s moved out. But hey, it was never supposed to be permanent, so why should there be a problem?
Steve stops on the doorstep of his office and, when he turns, he’s still smiling broadly. “I never mind.”
So, apparently, Danny isn’t the only one who’s been worrying about how his new living arrangements would affect their friendship.
~
Two hours later, he parks the car in the assigned space and locks it; he’s not whistling anymore, that much paperwork would take a toll on anyone’s good mood, but at least he’s home and his new couch is really quite comfortable.
He enters the apartment and the catchy chorus of All right now greets him from the stereo Olivia apparently placed next to the TV. She’s sitting on the floor, busy with opening one of the boxes, and looks up when he comes in.
“Hey, I see you’ve settled in,” Danny says, locking the door after himself. “I'm sorry I couldn't be here to help you out. Big arrest today.”
“Don't worry, Jersey,” she answers with a smile, and really, why did he tell her he’s from New Jersey? “The elevator did most of the work anyway.”
“Need help with unpacking?” Danny goes for the fridge and takes a beer for himself and one for his roommate. It’s their first night in the house together, he intends to be a gentleman. “Or, you know, moving stuff.”
“I could use some help with this,” Olivia admits and accepts the beer gladly; Danny looks at what she’s working on, and from the illustration on the really, ridiculously small piece of paper - are those supposed to be instructions? - he can tell it’s a small library, the kind you buy at Ikea.
“No problem,” Danny sits down next to her on the floor and eyes the pieces doubtfully. “Where will it go?”
“My room,” Olivia tells him, biting her lower lip. “I need extra space for my college books.”
“We should do this in the bedroom then, because it may not fit through the door once it’s assembled.” Danny takes the instructions page and turns it around about five times before he figures out which way he’s supposed to read it. “And I really don’t want to find that out once we’ve finished it.”
“Good thinking,” Olivia agrees and starts collecting the pieces to move them to the right room. Right then, Danny’s stomach grumbles and rubs it absent-mindedly. “Have you eaten anything?”
Danny thinks about it for a moment, then stands from the floor in one slow move. “No, not since lunch, I think.”
“I left you some Ratatouille in the fridge,” Olivia calls on her way to her room with the first batch of panels and screws. “I wasn’t sure if you liked it--”
“Are you kidding? I love it,” Danny beams, trotting to the kitchen in a hurry. “I haven’t eaten it since I left New Jersey,” he adds as he takes the plate from the fridge, then stops to look at it, suspicious. “There’s no pineapple in it, is there?”
“Why would there be pineapple in the Ratatouille?” Olivia stares at him wide-eyed when she joins him in the kitchen.
“Because pineapple is everywhere on this island,” Danny mutters, and it earns him a quiet, yet still confused laughter. “Wait, you managed to move your stuff inand cook Ratatouille, today?”
“I wish,” Olivia huffs out and sits opposite to him at the counter that kind of separated the kitchen area from the living room. “Kay made it, she thought we might be hungry.”
“Okay, fine, you win,” Danny says and raises his hands, interrupting for a moment the task of putting the dish in the microwave. “Living with a vegetarian isn’t hell.”
“Well, wow,” Olivia laughs, looking at her watch. “It took you all of ten minutes to change your mind?”
“Thank Kay. Besides, what can I say, I’m open-minded.” Danny shrugs, then waits for the microwave to finish and pulls his plate out. “What about you? Think you can live with a cow murderer?”
“You catch human murderers, so I guess you balance your karma well enough,” Olivia points out, matter-of-factly. “That’s a yes, by the way.”
“You really believe in this karma thing, don’t you?” Danny takes a first mouthful and half-closes his eyes, savoring the surprisingly spicy taste; it’s definitely different from his mom’s Ratatouille, but not in a bad way.
“It doesn’t hurt to,” she admits with a brief shrug, and right then the doorbells rings and she goes to answer it. “It’s for you!” she calls after a moment.
Danny puts his fork down and joins her at the door, where a courier is standing with a package in his hands and a slightly annoyed expression. “Special express delivery,” the guy - a boy in his late twenties with a military haircut - informs with a blank tone. “Sign here, please.”
Danny’s eyebrows shoot up, but he takes the form and reads, just to make sure it really is for him. Who would have his new address so quickly? He signs in the designated spot and gives the form back to the courier, while Olivia walks back to the living room to tune down the stereo a bit. It’s getting late and they don’t want to make enemies among the neighbors just yet.
“Thanks,” Danny tells the guy as he takes the box, still uncertain.
“Thanks to you, sir,” the boy replies, and his tone is still impersonal, but at least it’s a little warmer. “Have a good night.”
Danny watches him go, then kicks the door closed and locks it, still not entirely sure the courier isn’t a ninja assassin in disguise who just delivered a bomb. Fine, hewill lay off the spy movies. As if reading his mind, Olivia asks, “Could it be a bomb?”
“I surely hope not.” Danny holds the box next to his ear and shakes it just enough to ear a shuffling sound inside. Like a ball moving around. He curses when his phone rings and they both jump. He opens the text message and reads out loud, “Open it, paranoid freak.”
“McGarrett?” Olivia tries with a tentative smile, probably trying to figure out whether it’s safe or not to be around.
“Yeah,” Danny confirms with a smirk as he puts the box on the couch. He fishes a pair of scissors from somewhere on the floor and proceeds to open the package with care; he’s still not entirely sure it’s not a bomb, it’s McGarrett they’re talking about, after all. When he sees what’s inside he blinks a few times, unbelieving, then bursts into the most heartfelt laughter he’s had all week.
“What is it?” Olivia doesn’t try to look inside and he would appreciate the gesture, if he wasn’t so busy muttering warmhearted insults towards his partner, still laughing.
He gestures her to come look, while he stands and flips his phone open. By the time Steve picks up, he’s done laughing, but he’s sure his partner can tell he’s still grinning like a lunatic. “I’m going to kill you slowly,” he warns without leaving him the time to say anything. “You’re going to pay for this, babe.”
The only answer he receives is unrestrained laughter and he feels something in his chest flip pleasantly at the thought that yes, Steve is still right there, no matter where he lives. He looks inside the box again and shakes his head, while Olivia laughs quietly against her knuckles.
Attached to the pineapple, there’s a small note that says ‘Just a little housewarming gift. Steve’.
~~
A/N: first of all, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and don’t worry, the story is already finished, so I’ll post regularly.
What else? A special thanks goes to my friend V., who patiently helped me out when I got stuck. He’s not exactly a slash fan, so his effort was especially appreciated. <3
Well, I guess it’s all for now, let me know what you think. (And yes, Olivia was inspired by Olivia Wilde. I love the girl, I can’t help it. LOL)
See you next week :D
JM