New fic: Text, Context and Sub-text - Hawaii Five-O/Sherlock crossover
Title: Text, Context and Sub-text (or how Danny and John came to suspect that Steve and Sherlock were probably separated at birth)
Author: shao_fu
Rating: PG-13 for language and some sexual references, nothing too explicit
Pairings: Danny/Steve; Sherlock/John; Danny/John friendship; implied Kono/Jenna
Disclaimer: Don't own them, no harm intended, no profit made etc.
Warnings: Slash; angst; h/c; humour; romance
Spoilers: References to seasons 1 & beginning of season 2 of H5O; Season 1 and post-season (without any knowledge of Season 2!)of Sherlock
Summary: Detective Danny Williams has a lot to be thankful for and he owes most of it to Dr. John Watson and his partner, the complex Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes. When things start to go awry, he begins an email exchange with the benevolent doctor and discovers they have even more in common than he first suspected.
Notes: A sequel to A Man Does What He Must
For those interested, there is also a (Sherlock/John only) sort of prequel: Opus 221B explaining the beginning of Sherlock’s and John’s relationship which fascinated Danny so much.
Many thanks to the lovely sharpiesgal for the beta and the usual cheering on!
Part 1
Danny knew he was a sound sleeper but he didn’t think it was necessary for the alarm clock, the land line and his cell phone to all attempt to wake him simultaneously. Instinctively, he hit the alarm off button and groped for his phone, holding it to his ear while he staggered out of bed to pick up the land line. Half asleep, he noticed Steve wasn’t back from his morning swim and the coffee machine was cold. Chin was on his mobile, informing Danny of a crime scene; the land line went dead as he picked up, much to his annoyance. Trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, he made the coffee and wandered out to the lanai to see if he could spot Steve.
He was on his way in, cutting through the water in a fast crawl and Danny returned to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee and grab a towel. Steve never, ever remembered to carry a towel with him, usually air drying while he dripped all over the lanai or the kitchen floor. Steve finally reached the shallows and waded the rest of the way to the beach. Seeing Danny, he jogged towards him and Danny tossed the towel to him before he stepped off the sand. Steve grinned and roughly toweled down before joining Danny on the lanai. Danny handed him the cup of coffee but Steve shook his head. Danny raised an eyebrow but put the cup down and then had just enough time to put his down, too, as Steve’s arms wrapped around him from behind and he felt warm lips on the back of his neck.
“I’ve just put this shirt on,” he complained, “and you’re covering it with wet sand.”
“So take it off,” Steve murmured and Danny shivered at the sultry tone of his voice.
“Un-unh, not this morning,” he said, shaking his head. “Chin just called; we’ve gotta go, babe.”
“Nooo,” Steve whined, “we’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“Not any more, we’re not. If you’d been paying attention to anything I said yesterday you would know we are back on duty as of 0700 this morning. Don’t give me that look; go and get ready and I’ll make breakfast!”
Steve obediently went off to shower and change but he came clattering back down the stairs a few seconds later.
“Ha!” he exclaimed, making Danny jump and splash pancake batter on his already abused shirt.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded indignantly.
“You can’t fool me,” Steve said with a smug grin and Danny rolled his eyes.
“Steven, I mean it, what is wrong with you?” he asked. “Chin called ten minutes ago and we should already be on the road. Get a move on!” Steve’s face fell.
“You’re serious,” he said and his lower lip reflected his disappointment
“Of course, I’m serious. Will you please go and get ready while I change my shirt? We’ll have to pick up breakfast on the way - and stop pouting, you big baby,” he added as Steve went back upstairs.
“Am not,” came a muffled reply and Danny groaned and headed up the stairs behind Steve to find a clean shirt.
“It’s like living with a two-year-old,” he said to the air. “Even Gracie doesn’t behave like this!” he added louder so Steve could hear as he stripped off his shirt and pulled on a fresh one. Although he hadn’t officially moved in with Steve, most of his stuff had gradually migrated there and he spent so little time in his apartment that he was ready to give it up. He didn’t want to assume anything, however, so he was waiting for Steve to suggest they made their living arrangement permanent. He didn’t feel he could just invite himself to move in.
“Okay, alright,” Steve said, having taken a lightning fast shower. “I’m sorry, okay; it’s just when I saw the date, I thought you were joking.”
“The date?”
“April 1st - you know.”
Danny snarled and grabbed his mobile to call Chin.
“Tell me this is a for real crime scene and not some hoax,” he yelled when Chin picked up. He listened and said, “Oh, okay, sorry I yelled. Two bodies, you say? Yeah, Steve and I will be right there. No, Chin, you were not interrupting anything - what kind of question is that, any way? No, don’t even go there; we’re on our way.”
~
John finished packing his suitcase and shut the lid with a sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go home to London but the last week had been sublime and returning to harsh reality anywhere was going to be difficult. Mycroft was waiting for Sherlock’s report; Lestrade had already sent three texts; and he’d had an email from Sarah asking if he could change his shifts and come in a day earlier than planned. The delights of Hawaii were already fading, swamped by scheduling, questions and demands and they hadn’t even left for the airport yet! He wandered out onto the balcony for one last look at the ocean as the sun dipped gracefully towards the horizon. To his surprise, Sherlock was out on his balcony and actually looked rather regretful, too. He turned his head as John stepped out.
“Ready to go?” he asked and John shook his head.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “Oh, I’ve packed and I’m all set but, quite honestly, I don’t want to leave. Despite everything that happened with Moriarty, I’m really going to miss this place. This last week - well - ” John’s voice trailed off and he looked at Sherlock, oblivious to the scarlet splendour of the sunset.
“You needed a vacation,” Sherlock said calmly, apparently unmoved.
“We needed a vacation,” John corrected. “I’m just grateful you actually took some time off.”
“It has been most - pleasant,” Sherlock said, clearing his throat and turning his gaze to the sunset. John couldn’t take his eyes off him, the fading light limning his profile with gold. He felt his heart squeeze in his chest and bit back a sigh.
“The governor is sending a car for us,” he said. “We should go down to the lobby.”
“In a moment,” Sherlock murmured, his eyes fixed to the setting sun. “Would you care to join me?” he added and John turned away and made haste to go through the adjoining door into Sherlock’s room. He stepped out onto the balcony and was surprised when Sherlock slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him to his side. His voice dropped into the sexy rumble John found so irresistible and he said softly in John’s ear,
“I shall always have very fond memories of this place.” John tilted his head up to look into his eyes and Sherlock smiled and bent down, capturing his lips in a deep, passionate kiss, leaving John breathless and giddy.
“Is it this place?” he asked daringly and Sherlock shook his head.
“No John; I admit this place has been conducive to the strengthening of our relationship but it is not an essential ingredient. Your presence is all that is required.” John shook his head.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Sherlock,” he said wistfully.
“Do what, John? I merely spoke the truth as is my wont.”
“I know - it’s so terrifyingly honest that it unmans me.” He smiled, his eyes full of unspoken words that Sherlock had no difficulty in interpreting.
“Ah, I see,” Sherlock said with a familiar quirk of his lips. “There is no reason to become sentimental, John. Hawaii has been a good experience on the whole, if we ignore the fact that you were hurt more than once, but nothing has really changed.”
“You see, that’s exactly what I mean - and let’s not forget that you were hurt, too,” John said and glanced at his watch. “Time to go.”
~
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 2nd April
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: Thank you and goodbye
Hi John! I was going to write yesterday but didn’t think you’d want any strange emails on April 1st. Sorry Steve and I didn’t get to see you again before you left but you know how it is, roads to hell and good intentions and all that. I heard the Governor gave you an appropriate send off. Things are pretty good here, thanks to you and, much as I hate to admit it, Sherlock. Steve hasn’t been hurt and hasn’t managed to blow up anything since you left, so I’m ahead at the moment. Of course, that just means something terrible is probably imminent. No news on Wo Fat or Moriarty, I’m afraid. I’m guessing the nut job is creating the usual mayhem, right? Stay in touch just so I know you’re not dead or missing any body parts.
Danny
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 4th April
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: RE: Thank you and goodbye
Hello Danny! How nice to hear from you; I’m so glad you decided to keep in touch. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet up with you and Steve again but we were all rather busy with ‘other things’, weren’t we? Sherlock and I definitely were! The governor did, indeed, accompany us to the airport and said a lot of nice things; not that Sherlock cares a toss about any of that but I do like to hear that he is appreciated. We will be very interested to hear how things progress in Oahu. Not just news on Wo Fat and Moriarty but the 5-O team and you and Steve. We have a rather proprietary interest in the pair of you and, yes, it is as prurient as you imagine! Please give our best wishes to Kono, Chin and Jenna.
You will be pleased to know that things are pretty quiet here, too. Like you, I am anticipating imminent disaster if Sherlock gets too bored. By the way, he says to tell you he does not create mayhem, he merely uncovers it and he would prefer not to be identified as ‘the nut job’ unless you mean it as a term of endearment. Neither of us is dead or missing body parts at the moment.
John
~~~
Danny was pacing in small circles, hands waving frantically and he was getting decidedly red around the ears. Kono poked Jenna and grinned.
“Looks like the boss is getting it in the neck,” she said gleefully.
“It would appear so,” Jenna replied with a grin of her own. “Not that he doesn’t deserve it after that idiotic trick he pulled today.”
“Of course, he doesn’t see it like that,” Chin chimed in, perching on Kono’s desk to get a good view of Steve’s office. “He was merely ‘pursuing a criminal in the most effective way possible’, as he is obviously trying to explain to Danny. Ah, it looks like we’re getting to the part where Danny points out to Steve that the governor granting him ‘immunity and means’ doesn’t mean - ”
“- that he’s immune!” Kono and Jenna joined Chin in the chorus just as Danny barged out of the office.
“Very funny!” he flung at them as he stormed past and headed for the men’s room. Steve was limping slowly behind him and Chin intervened.
“You’d better sit down and take the weight off that ankle,” he said. “I’ll go and make sure Danny isn’t demolishing any walls with his head or whatever.”
Steve sat down gratefully and glanced at the other members of his team.
“He’s really mad,” he said unnecessarily.
“You said it, brah,” Kono responded. “Did you have to jump off the roof, boss? Wasn’t there a fire escape?”
“Oh God, not you, too! I told Danny, there wasn’t any time, I was going to lose him if I’d used the fire escape.”
“So you jumped off the roof on top of him,” Jenna added, “inflicting a broken arm on him and, fortunately, only spraining your ankle. Meanwhile, Danny had driven around the building and already had him cornered.”
“I didn’t see Danny until after . . .” Steve said. “Let’s just let it drop, okay,” he said as Chin returned with Danny glowering behind him. Kono, Jenna and Chin melted away discreetly as Danny folded his arms and stared Steve down.
“Let’s go,” he said to Steve with a tilt of his head towards the exit. “I’m taking you home so you can rest.”
“Danny, really, I’m perfectly capable of doing paperwork at least!”
“You? Paperwork? Please! You are going to follow doctor’s orders and go home to bed.” Steve sighed but limped after Danny to the car park. Danny maintained a frosty silence, pretending to be impervious to the sheep’s eyes Steve was making at him.
“Are you going to put me to bed like a naughty boy?” he asked with a smirk.
“Steven, I would not push your luck with me right now,” Danny answered severely. Glancing sideways as Steve subsided, Danny saw the down turned mouth and relented a little. “Okay, listen; three days bed rest while you keep the weight off your foot and then you can come back as long as there is no more hot pursuit until the doc says you’re completely healed. You’re very lucky you’re not in a cast, you know, and that’s what will happen if you can’t be sensible.”
“I can’t stay in bed for three days, Danno,” Steve muttered pathetically. “I’ll go crazy. And how am I supposed to manage if I’m not allowed to put weight on my foot?”
“I,” said Danny with an air of being greatly put upon, “will be taking care of you, Steven. What did you think I was going to do? Leave you to your own devices?”
“You’ll stay?” Steve brightened immediately. “I wasn’t going to assume . . .”
“Steven,” Danny interrupted.
“Yes, Danny?”
“Shut up!”
~
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 20th April
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: Spoke too soon!
Hey John, looks like my hunch was correct. Steve is currently out of commission with a sprained ankle, suffered when he jumped off a roof. I’m sure I do not need to go into further details but let me just tell you that he considers it a job well done as long as he makes an arrest even if he gives me cardiac arrest! I am seriously debating whether or not to have him committed and I fully sympathize with you regarding the responsibilities of partnering a certifiable maniac. What did I do to deserve this, I ask you? Why couldn’t I have partnered Chin or Kono? Unfortunately, that was never an option, as we both know - and there is an upside, after all.
You’re a medical doctor, I know; any advice on how to prevent him from aggravating his current injury? That he is aggravating me goes without saying.
Danny
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 22nd April
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: RE: Spoke too soon!
Sorry to hear about Steve. Not sure this is appropriate medical advice but you could try handcuffing him to the bed!
Sherlock has just read this over my shoulder without the context of your email and wants to know why I am recommending kinky sex - I think he’s envious! He’s definitely sulking . . .
John
~~~
“John, really, all I did was twist my ankle. I am perfectly capable of - ”
“Not another word, Sherlock. You will allow that this is an area where I am the expert and not you! Under no circumstances are you to put any additional strain on your injury. I don’t care what you have on at the moment, you are to elevate that leg and rest, goddamnit!”
“Oh, very well! Pass me my phone or am I not allowed to even text in case I sprain a thumb?”
“Please don’t resort to being childish, Sherlock, it doesn’t become you. You have a hyper-extended Achilles tendon and any exertion could cause further damage. It’s partly my fault, of course, because I not only allow you to race around as if you were a teenager but I follow you!”
“Yes, you do; why is that?” Sherlock, as mercurial as ever, stopped sulking and his eyes twinkled. John sighed.
“You know very well why.” Sherlock held out his hand and John moved across to grasp it in his own.
“You will recall that you followed me that first night, John, thus proving that your leg injury was, indeed, psychosomatic.”
“Yes, I did and I will continue to follow you because you have no sense of personal safety and someone has to watch out for you.” Sherlock pulled him down and brushed his lips with a fleeting kiss.
“I consider myself very lucky to have such a conscientious watchdog but you must allow me to work, John.”
“Ten days rest, Sherlock,” John said severely and, when Sherlock immediately looked sulky again, leaned in and whispered, “okay, a week and, if you’re a good boy, I’ll allow certain activities as long as they don’t involve running around or leaping tall buildings.” Sherlock brightened again.
“What kind of activities do you have in mind?” he asked with an air of innocence. John grinned.
“Well, anything that allows you to remain horizontal would be acceptable.”
“Ah, yes,” Sherlock’s voice dropped seductively. “That would be acceptable to me, too.”
“Good, I’m glad we can agree on something. Now, how about a nice cup of tea?”
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 1st May
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: Similarities continue
Hi Danny! I hope Steve has recovered and has not caused any further anxiety. Sherlock is currently handcuffed to the bed (metaphorically speaking) to prevent him exacerbating a strained tendon. Only the promise of kinky sex at some later date is reconciling him to his current situation. Apparently, he is determined to outdo Steve at every turn, including the aggravation of his partner.
John
~~~
Steve managed to stay at home resting for a day but spent all his time on the phone to Danny, even though Danny was staying with him and would give him all the news when he returned from work. When he finally got sick of taking his calls, Steve transferred his attention to Chin, then Kono and finally Jenna. It was a war of attrition, Steve making himself a total nuisance until Danny gave in and allowed him to come back to the office a day early, having extracted a promise that he would stay off his feet and do nothing more than answer the phone and catch up on his paperwork. That lasted a whole other day before Steve grew even more restless and wanted to be back on the road with Danny. Not surprisingly, Danny did not believe his promises to stay in the car and the atmosphere became rather tense.
The ultimate straw for Danny was when Steve not only went off on his own - on foot, no less - but managed to stumble upon an armed robbery in progress at the small store he had gone to for a snack. He did manage to call for backup but, as usual, did not wait and what should have been a fairly simple take down became a running gun battle and Danny finally lost it when he narrowly avoided being shot. As soon as the criminals had been apprehended and handed over to HPD, Danny hustled Steve into the car and drove him home. Steve’s protests were met with a stony silence and only when they were inside the house with the door firmly shut did Danny let loose his tirade. By the time he stopped to draw breath he had threatened Steve with everything from castration to a slow and painful death, laid the worst guilt trip possible on him about leaving Gracie fatherless through sheer dumbass stupidity and reached a matchless peroration of fury, worry, injured feelings and pleas for Steve to cease and desist from trying to get himself and his partner killed at every possible opportunity. His eloquence was such that Steve actually had sufficient sense to promise to remain at home without further argument until his doctor gave him permission to return to work.
Later, after he had calmed down, Danny considered this one of his finest moments and regretted it hadn’t been caught on tape. He also discovered that Steve in ‘beaten into submission’ mode was exactly that, allowing Danny to dominate in bed without protest or eventually assuming control as he usually did. Keeping Steve teetering on the edge for hours, until he was reduced to begging and pleading with Danny for release, did much to reconcile Danny to the less pleasurable and more dangerous facets involved in his choice of partner.
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 15th May
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: RE: Similarities continue
Hi John! Been a while I know but the criminal classes have been rather active lately and we’ve had our hands full. Steve is being an ass as usual. I’m not exactly regretting getting involved with him but I have family responsibilities and I would like to live long enough to see my daughter grow up. The risks of the job are bad enough but trying to watch Steve’s back and save him from his own stupidity is looking more and more like mission impossible. He is returning to work tomorrow and I swear to god, if he puts another foot wrong, I WILL handcuff him to the bed and leave him to his own devices!
That being said, and at the risk of TMI, there are compensations which keep me from completely washing my hands of the idiot - the fact that this may also have something to do with handcuffs and a bed is purely coincidental!
Speaking of idiots, is TNJ better?
D.
~
John was at the end of his tether. Sherlock had disappeared without trace and no-one had heard anything since John had received a text baldly stating that Sherlock was in pursuit of Moriarty. Mycroft had been unable to discover what had happened to him or where he had gone after he left Baker Street; Sherlock seemed to have disappeared into thin air. He had been able to confirm that Moriarty was back in London and it didn’t take a genius to figure out the two events were connected. How the hell Moriarty had not only survived an apparently fatal chest wound but was recovered enough to be travelling and creating the sort of mayhem only he could conceive, was a total mystery to everyone. And how Sherlock had discovered Moriarty’s whereabouts was an even bigger mystery.
John had called and texted Sherlock regularly without any reply and he was beginning to think he would never see him again. The thought was too unpleasant to dwell on and John resolutely refused to believe Sherlock would not reappear; he just wished it would be sooner rather than later. He wanted him back safe and sound and then he was going to kill him for going off without his partner to face the most evil criminal they had ever encountered. Sherlock was playing what he considered a dangerous game but it wasn’t a game to John: it was a matter of life and death and he could scarcely believe Sherlock hadn’t spared a thought for him. He knew, of course, that that was precisely the problem. Sherlock had discovered a lead on Moriarty and all else had been forgotten or, at the very least, relegated to insignificance. Meanwhile, he was left to sit and wait and pace and not sleep and worry. His world had shrunk to the confines of Baker Street and a constant chorus of ‘what ifs’ that left him exhausted and drained but unable to sleep.
Three days later, John was dozing in his armchair when the door opened and Sherlock walked in as if he had merely gone around the corner to buy a pint of milk. His bemusement when John took him to task was genuine but that did not assuage John’s furious recriminations. When he pulled on his jacket and said he was going out to get some air before he said or did something he would truly regret, Sherlock finally responded.
“Just a moment, John,” he said quietly. “I do realise now that you have every reason to be upset with me and I have no intention of trying to put forward a defense as one cannot defend the indefensible. Please believe me when I say it was never my intention to cause you such distress but, at the same time, you know who and what I am. If you have reached the point where this is no longer acceptable, then perhaps it would be better for you to discontinue our partnership.”
John froze in his tracks, his jacket half on, completely winded by Sherlock’s suggestion..
“Is that what you want?” he managed to ask eventually.
“It is not what I want that is the issue here,” Sherlock replied. “Your wishes and wellbeing are paramount and it has become apparent that my habitual modus operandi causes you an unacceptable amount of distress and discomfort.”
“And your answer is for us to end our partnership?” John said blankly.
“It would be the logical solution,” Sherlock said. “I know myself and I cannot honestly say that such an occurrence as this last episode will not happen again. I would quite understand if you found that unacceptable.”
John took off his jacket and walked slowly towards Sherlock, his eyes snapping with fury and a less definable emotion. He poked Sherlock in the chest with one finger, hard enough to make Sherlock take a step backwards.
“You - you imbecile!” John snarled. “When am I ever going to get it through that thick head of yours that I am in this for the long haul? Yes, of course I’m upset but that doesn’t mean that I would ever consider . . . how could you possibly suggest? . . .” He was becoming more incoherent as he backed Sherlock against the wall. “For someone with your level of intelligence, you can be so fucking stupid . . .”
As Sherlock finally grasped the root cause of John’s problem, he took the logical course of action and proved that he was, indeed, quite brilliant. He pulled John into his arms and held him tightly against his chest, saying nothing while John shuddered and cursed him roundly. When his anger was spent, Sherlock peppered his face with light kisses, each a wordless apology, and then took him to bed.
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 4th June
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: TNJ
Sorry for the late response - I, too, have had my hands full but not with the criminal classes; TNJ, as you call him (and at the moment it is a very apt description!), decided to pursue a lead on Moriarty without telling me. Yes, the bastard is apparently alive and well and still making my life a misery! Needless to say, when Sherlock finally reappeared after an absence of several days, we had a few strong words. He is currently on his best behaviour but I cannot find it in myself to appreciate the effort. His actions were inexcusable and I have the grey hairs to prove it. It is an uphill battle to convince him that he actually has someone in his life who cares about him and what happens to him and sending a text saying: Gone after M. Back soon is not acceptable!
It seems neither of us have chosen the sort of partner with whom we can have a quiet, peaceful existence! One wonders sometimes why we have done this to ourselves but, there again, as you have so rightly pointed out, there are compensations.
J.
~~~
(part 2 is here )
Positive feedback is always very welcome!
Author: shao_fu
Rating: PG-13 for language and some sexual references, nothing too explicit
Pairings: Danny/Steve; Sherlock/John; Danny/John friendship; implied Kono/Jenna
Disclaimer: Don't own them, no harm intended, no profit made etc.
Warnings: Slash; angst; h/c; humour; romance
Spoilers: References to seasons 1 & beginning of season 2 of H5O; Season 1 and post-season (without any knowledge of Season 2!)of Sherlock
Summary: Detective Danny Williams has a lot to be thankful for and he owes most of it to Dr. John Watson and his partner, the complex Consulting Detective Sherlock Holmes. When things start to go awry, he begins an email exchange with the benevolent doctor and discovers they have even more in common than he first suspected.
Notes: A sequel to A Man Does What He Must
For those interested, there is also a (Sherlock/John only) sort of prequel: Opus 221B explaining the beginning of Sherlock’s and John’s relationship which fascinated Danny so much.
Many thanks to the lovely sharpiesgal for the beta and the usual cheering on!
Part 1
Danny knew he was a sound sleeper but he didn’t think it was necessary for the alarm clock, the land line and his cell phone to all attempt to wake him simultaneously. Instinctively, he hit the alarm off button and groped for his phone, holding it to his ear while he staggered out of bed to pick up the land line. Half asleep, he noticed Steve wasn’t back from his morning swim and the coffee machine was cold. Chin was on his mobile, informing Danny of a crime scene; the land line went dead as he picked up, much to his annoyance. Trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, he made the coffee and wandered out to the lanai to see if he could spot Steve.
He was on his way in, cutting through the water in a fast crawl and Danny returned to the kitchen to pour two cups of coffee and grab a towel. Steve never, ever remembered to carry a towel with him, usually air drying while he dripped all over the lanai or the kitchen floor. Steve finally reached the shallows and waded the rest of the way to the beach. Seeing Danny, he jogged towards him and Danny tossed the towel to him before he stepped off the sand. Steve grinned and roughly toweled down before joining Danny on the lanai. Danny handed him the cup of coffee but Steve shook his head. Danny raised an eyebrow but put the cup down and then had just enough time to put his down, too, as Steve’s arms wrapped around him from behind and he felt warm lips on the back of his neck.
“I’ve just put this shirt on,” he complained, “and you’re covering it with wet sand.”
“So take it off,” Steve murmured and Danny shivered at the sultry tone of his voice.
“Un-unh, not this morning,” he said, shaking his head. “Chin just called; we’ve gotta go, babe.”
“Nooo,” Steve whined, “we’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“Not any more, we’re not. If you’d been paying attention to anything I said yesterday you would know we are back on duty as of 0700 this morning. Don’t give me that look; go and get ready and I’ll make breakfast!”
Steve obediently went off to shower and change but he came clattering back down the stairs a few seconds later.
“Ha!” he exclaimed, making Danny jump and splash pancake batter on his already abused shirt.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded indignantly.
“You can’t fool me,” Steve said with a smug grin and Danny rolled his eyes.
“Steven, I mean it, what is wrong with you?” he asked. “Chin called ten minutes ago and we should already be on the road. Get a move on!” Steve’s face fell.
“You’re serious,” he said and his lower lip reflected his disappointment
“Of course, I’m serious. Will you please go and get ready while I change my shirt? We’ll have to pick up breakfast on the way - and stop pouting, you big baby,” he added as Steve went back upstairs.
“Am not,” came a muffled reply and Danny groaned and headed up the stairs behind Steve to find a clean shirt.
“It’s like living with a two-year-old,” he said to the air. “Even Gracie doesn’t behave like this!” he added louder so Steve could hear as he stripped off his shirt and pulled on a fresh one. Although he hadn’t officially moved in with Steve, most of his stuff had gradually migrated there and he spent so little time in his apartment that he was ready to give it up. He didn’t want to assume anything, however, so he was waiting for Steve to suggest they made their living arrangement permanent. He didn’t feel he could just invite himself to move in.
“Okay, alright,” Steve said, having taken a lightning fast shower. “I’m sorry, okay; it’s just when I saw the date, I thought you were joking.”
“The date?”
“April 1st - you know.”
Danny snarled and grabbed his mobile to call Chin.
“Tell me this is a for real crime scene and not some hoax,” he yelled when Chin picked up. He listened and said, “Oh, okay, sorry I yelled. Two bodies, you say? Yeah, Steve and I will be right there. No, Chin, you were not interrupting anything - what kind of question is that, any way? No, don’t even go there; we’re on our way.”
~
John finished packing his suitcase and shut the lid with a sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go home to London but the last week had been sublime and returning to harsh reality anywhere was going to be difficult. Mycroft was waiting for Sherlock’s report; Lestrade had already sent three texts; and he’d had an email from Sarah asking if he could change his shifts and come in a day earlier than planned. The delights of Hawaii were already fading, swamped by scheduling, questions and demands and they hadn’t even left for the airport yet! He wandered out onto the balcony for one last look at the ocean as the sun dipped gracefully towards the horizon. To his surprise, Sherlock was out on his balcony and actually looked rather regretful, too. He turned his head as John stepped out.
“Ready to go?” he asked and John shook his head.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “Oh, I’ve packed and I’m all set but, quite honestly, I don’t want to leave. Despite everything that happened with Moriarty, I’m really going to miss this place. This last week - well - ” John’s voice trailed off and he looked at Sherlock, oblivious to the scarlet splendour of the sunset.
“You needed a vacation,” Sherlock said calmly, apparently unmoved.
“We needed a vacation,” John corrected. “I’m just grateful you actually took some time off.”
“It has been most - pleasant,” Sherlock said, clearing his throat and turning his gaze to the sunset. John couldn’t take his eyes off him, the fading light limning his profile with gold. He felt his heart squeeze in his chest and bit back a sigh.
“The governor is sending a car for us,” he said. “We should go down to the lobby.”
“In a moment,” Sherlock murmured, his eyes fixed to the setting sun. “Would you care to join me?” he added and John turned away and made haste to go through the adjoining door into Sherlock’s room. He stepped out onto the balcony and was surprised when Sherlock slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him to his side. His voice dropped into the sexy rumble John found so irresistible and he said softly in John’s ear,
“I shall always have very fond memories of this place.” John tilted his head up to look into his eyes and Sherlock smiled and bent down, capturing his lips in a deep, passionate kiss, leaving John breathless and giddy.
“Is it this place?” he asked daringly and Sherlock shook his head.
“No John; I admit this place has been conducive to the strengthening of our relationship but it is not an essential ingredient. Your presence is all that is required.” John shook his head.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Sherlock,” he said wistfully.
“Do what, John? I merely spoke the truth as is my wont.”
“I know - it’s so terrifyingly honest that it unmans me.” He smiled, his eyes full of unspoken words that Sherlock had no difficulty in interpreting.
“Ah, I see,” Sherlock said with a familiar quirk of his lips. “There is no reason to become sentimental, John. Hawaii has been a good experience on the whole, if we ignore the fact that you were hurt more than once, but nothing has really changed.”
“You see, that’s exactly what I mean - and let’s not forget that you were hurt, too,” John said and glanced at his watch. “Time to go.”
~
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 2nd April
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: Thank you and goodbye
Hi John! I was going to write yesterday but didn’t think you’d want any strange emails on April 1st. Sorry Steve and I didn’t get to see you again before you left but you know how it is, roads to hell and good intentions and all that. I heard the Governor gave you an appropriate send off. Things are pretty good here, thanks to you and, much as I hate to admit it, Sherlock. Steve hasn’t been hurt and hasn’t managed to blow up anything since you left, so I’m ahead at the moment. Of course, that just means something terrible is probably imminent. No news on Wo Fat or Moriarty, I’m afraid. I’m guessing the nut job is creating the usual mayhem, right? Stay in touch just so I know you’re not dead or missing any body parts.
Danny
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 4th April
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: RE: Thank you and goodbye
Hello Danny! How nice to hear from you; I’m so glad you decided to keep in touch. I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet up with you and Steve again but we were all rather busy with ‘other things’, weren’t we? Sherlock and I definitely were! The governor did, indeed, accompany us to the airport and said a lot of nice things; not that Sherlock cares a toss about any of that but I do like to hear that he is appreciated. We will be very interested to hear how things progress in Oahu. Not just news on Wo Fat and Moriarty but the 5-O team and you and Steve. We have a rather proprietary interest in the pair of you and, yes, it is as prurient as you imagine! Please give our best wishes to Kono, Chin and Jenna.
You will be pleased to know that things are pretty quiet here, too. Like you, I am anticipating imminent disaster if Sherlock gets too bored. By the way, he says to tell you he does not create mayhem, he merely uncovers it and he would prefer not to be identified as ‘the nut job’ unless you mean it as a term of endearment. Neither of us is dead or missing body parts at the moment.
John
~~~
Danny was pacing in small circles, hands waving frantically and he was getting decidedly red around the ears. Kono poked Jenna and grinned.
“Looks like the boss is getting it in the neck,” she said gleefully.
“It would appear so,” Jenna replied with a grin of her own. “Not that he doesn’t deserve it after that idiotic trick he pulled today.”
“Of course, he doesn’t see it like that,” Chin chimed in, perching on Kono’s desk to get a good view of Steve’s office. “He was merely ‘pursuing a criminal in the most effective way possible’, as he is obviously trying to explain to Danny. Ah, it looks like we’re getting to the part where Danny points out to Steve that the governor granting him ‘immunity and means’ doesn’t mean - ”
“- that he’s immune!” Kono and Jenna joined Chin in the chorus just as Danny barged out of the office.
“Very funny!” he flung at them as he stormed past and headed for the men’s room. Steve was limping slowly behind him and Chin intervened.
“You’d better sit down and take the weight off that ankle,” he said. “I’ll go and make sure Danny isn’t demolishing any walls with his head or whatever.”
Steve sat down gratefully and glanced at the other members of his team.
“He’s really mad,” he said unnecessarily.
“You said it, brah,” Kono responded. “Did you have to jump off the roof, boss? Wasn’t there a fire escape?”
“Oh God, not you, too! I told Danny, there wasn’t any time, I was going to lose him if I’d used the fire escape.”
“So you jumped off the roof on top of him,” Jenna added, “inflicting a broken arm on him and, fortunately, only spraining your ankle. Meanwhile, Danny had driven around the building and already had him cornered.”
“I didn’t see Danny until after . . .” Steve said. “Let’s just let it drop, okay,” he said as Chin returned with Danny glowering behind him. Kono, Jenna and Chin melted away discreetly as Danny folded his arms and stared Steve down.
“Let’s go,” he said to Steve with a tilt of his head towards the exit. “I’m taking you home so you can rest.”
“Danny, really, I’m perfectly capable of doing paperwork at least!”
“You? Paperwork? Please! You are going to follow doctor’s orders and go home to bed.” Steve sighed but limped after Danny to the car park. Danny maintained a frosty silence, pretending to be impervious to the sheep’s eyes Steve was making at him.
“Are you going to put me to bed like a naughty boy?” he asked with a smirk.
“Steven, I would not push your luck with me right now,” Danny answered severely. Glancing sideways as Steve subsided, Danny saw the down turned mouth and relented a little. “Okay, listen; three days bed rest while you keep the weight off your foot and then you can come back as long as there is no more hot pursuit until the doc says you’re completely healed. You’re very lucky you’re not in a cast, you know, and that’s what will happen if you can’t be sensible.”
“I can’t stay in bed for three days, Danno,” Steve muttered pathetically. “I’ll go crazy. And how am I supposed to manage if I’m not allowed to put weight on my foot?”
“I,” said Danny with an air of being greatly put upon, “will be taking care of you, Steven. What did you think I was going to do? Leave you to your own devices?”
“You’ll stay?” Steve brightened immediately. “I wasn’t going to assume . . .”
“Steven,” Danny interrupted.
“Yes, Danny?”
“Shut up!”
~
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 20th April
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: Spoke too soon!
Hey John, looks like my hunch was correct. Steve is currently out of commission with a sprained ankle, suffered when he jumped off a roof. I’m sure I do not need to go into further details but let me just tell you that he considers it a job well done as long as he makes an arrest even if he gives me cardiac arrest! I am seriously debating whether or not to have him committed and I fully sympathize with you regarding the responsibilities of partnering a certifiable maniac. What did I do to deserve this, I ask you? Why couldn’t I have partnered Chin or Kono? Unfortunately, that was never an option, as we both know - and there is an upside, after all.
You’re a medical doctor, I know; any advice on how to prevent him from aggravating his current injury? That he is aggravating me goes without saying.
Danny
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 22nd April
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: RE: Spoke too soon!
Sorry to hear about Steve. Not sure this is appropriate medical advice but you could try handcuffing him to the bed!
Sherlock has just read this over my shoulder without the context of your email and wants to know why I am recommending kinky sex - I think he’s envious! He’s definitely sulking . . .
John
~~~
“John, really, all I did was twist my ankle. I am perfectly capable of - ”
“Not another word, Sherlock. You will allow that this is an area where I am the expert and not you! Under no circumstances are you to put any additional strain on your injury. I don’t care what you have on at the moment, you are to elevate that leg and rest, goddamnit!”
“Oh, very well! Pass me my phone or am I not allowed to even text in case I sprain a thumb?”
“Please don’t resort to being childish, Sherlock, it doesn’t become you. You have a hyper-extended Achilles tendon and any exertion could cause further damage. It’s partly my fault, of course, because I not only allow you to race around as if you were a teenager but I follow you!”
“Yes, you do; why is that?” Sherlock, as mercurial as ever, stopped sulking and his eyes twinkled. John sighed.
“You know very well why.” Sherlock held out his hand and John moved across to grasp it in his own.
“You will recall that you followed me that first night, John, thus proving that your leg injury was, indeed, psychosomatic.”
“Yes, I did and I will continue to follow you because you have no sense of personal safety and someone has to watch out for you.” Sherlock pulled him down and brushed his lips with a fleeting kiss.
“I consider myself very lucky to have such a conscientious watchdog but you must allow me to work, John.”
“Ten days rest, Sherlock,” John said severely and, when Sherlock immediately looked sulky again, leaned in and whispered, “okay, a week and, if you’re a good boy, I’ll allow certain activities as long as they don’t involve running around or leaping tall buildings.” Sherlock brightened again.
“What kind of activities do you have in mind?” he asked with an air of innocence. John grinned.
“Well, anything that allows you to remain horizontal would be acceptable.”
“Ah, yes,” Sherlock’s voice dropped seductively. “That would be acceptable to me, too.”
“Good, I’m glad we can agree on something. Now, how about a nice cup of tea?”
~
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 1st May
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: Similarities continue
Hi Danny! I hope Steve has recovered and has not caused any further anxiety. Sherlock is currently handcuffed to the bed (metaphorically speaking) to prevent him exacerbating a strained tendon. Only the promise of kinky sex at some later date is reconciling him to his current situation. Apparently, he is determined to outdo Steve at every turn, including the aggravation of his partner.
John
~~~
Steve managed to stay at home resting for a day but spent all his time on the phone to Danny, even though Danny was staying with him and would give him all the news when he returned from work. When he finally got sick of taking his calls, Steve transferred his attention to Chin, then Kono and finally Jenna. It was a war of attrition, Steve making himself a total nuisance until Danny gave in and allowed him to come back to the office a day early, having extracted a promise that he would stay off his feet and do nothing more than answer the phone and catch up on his paperwork. That lasted a whole other day before Steve grew even more restless and wanted to be back on the road with Danny. Not surprisingly, Danny did not believe his promises to stay in the car and the atmosphere became rather tense.
The ultimate straw for Danny was when Steve not only went off on his own - on foot, no less - but managed to stumble upon an armed robbery in progress at the small store he had gone to for a snack. He did manage to call for backup but, as usual, did not wait and what should have been a fairly simple take down became a running gun battle and Danny finally lost it when he narrowly avoided being shot. As soon as the criminals had been apprehended and handed over to HPD, Danny hustled Steve into the car and drove him home. Steve’s protests were met with a stony silence and only when they were inside the house with the door firmly shut did Danny let loose his tirade. By the time he stopped to draw breath he had threatened Steve with everything from castration to a slow and painful death, laid the worst guilt trip possible on him about leaving Gracie fatherless through sheer dumbass stupidity and reached a matchless peroration of fury, worry, injured feelings and pleas for Steve to cease and desist from trying to get himself and his partner killed at every possible opportunity. His eloquence was such that Steve actually had sufficient sense to promise to remain at home without further argument until his doctor gave him permission to return to work.
Later, after he had calmed down, Danny considered this one of his finest moments and regretted it hadn’t been caught on tape. He also discovered that Steve in ‘beaten into submission’ mode was exactly that, allowing Danny to dominate in bed without protest or eventually assuming control as he usually did. Keeping Steve teetering on the edge for hours, until he was reduced to begging and pleading with Danny for release, did much to reconcile Danny to the less pleasurable and more dangerous facets involved in his choice of partner.
From: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Sent: 15th May
To: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Subject: RE: Similarities continue
Hi John! Been a while I know but the criminal classes have been rather active lately and we’ve had our hands full. Steve is being an ass as usual. I’m not exactly regretting getting involved with him but I have family responsibilities and I would like to live long enough to see my daughter grow up. The risks of the job are bad enough but trying to watch Steve’s back and save him from his own stupidity is looking more and more like mission impossible. He is returning to work tomorrow and I swear to god, if he puts another foot wrong, I WILL handcuff him to the bed and leave him to his own devices!
That being said, and at the risk of TMI, there are compensations which keep me from completely washing my hands of the idiot - the fact that this may also have something to do with handcuffs and a bed is purely coincidental!
Speaking of idiots, is TNJ better?
D.
~
John was at the end of his tether. Sherlock had disappeared without trace and no-one had heard anything since John had received a text baldly stating that Sherlock was in pursuit of Moriarty. Mycroft had been unable to discover what had happened to him or where he had gone after he left Baker Street; Sherlock seemed to have disappeared into thin air. He had been able to confirm that Moriarty was back in London and it didn’t take a genius to figure out the two events were connected. How the hell Moriarty had not only survived an apparently fatal chest wound but was recovered enough to be travelling and creating the sort of mayhem only he could conceive, was a total mystery to everyone. And how Sherlock had discovered Moriarty’s whereabouts was an even bigger mystery.
John had called and texted Sherlock regularly without any reply and he was beginning to think he would never see him again. The thought was too unpleasant to dwell on and John resolutely refused to believe Sherlock would not reappear; he just wished it would be sooner rather than later. He wanted him back safe and sound and then he was going to kill him for going off without his partner to face the most evil criminal they had ever encountered. Sherlock was playing what he considered a dangerous game but it wasn’t a game to John: it was a matter of life and death and he could scarcely believe Sherlock hadn’t spared a thought for him. He knew, of course, that that was precisely the problem. Sherlock had discovered a lead on Moriarty and all else had been forgotten or, at the very least, relegated to insignificance. Meanwhile, he was left to sit and wait and pace and not sleep and worry. His world had shrunk to the confines of Baker Street and a constant chorus of ‘what ifs’ that left him exhausted and drained but unable to sleep.
Three days later, John was dozing in his armchair when the door opened and Sherlock walked in as if he had merely gone around the corner to buy a pint of milk. His bemusement when John took him to task was genuine but that did not assuage John’s furious recriminations. When he pulled on his jacket and said he was going out to get some air before he said or did something he would truly regret, Sherlock finally responded.
“Just a moment, John,” he said quietly. “I do realise now that you have every reason to be upset with me and I have no intention of trying to put forward a defense as one cannot defend the indefensible. Please believe me when I say it was never my intention to cause you such distress but, at the same time, you know who and what I am. If you have reached the point where this is no longer acceptable, then perhaps it would be better for you to discontinue our partnership.”
John froze in his tracks, his jacket half on, completely winded by Sherlock’s suggestion..
“Is that what you want?” he managed to ask eventually.
“It is not what I want that is the issue here,” Sherlock replied. “Your wishes and wellbeing are paramount and it has become apparent that my habitual modus operandi causes you an unacceptable amount of distress and discomfort.”
“And your answer is for us to end our partnership?” John said blankly.
“It would be the logical solution,” Sherlock said. “I know myself and I cannot honestly say that such an occurrence as this last episode will not happen again. I would quite understand if you found that unacceptable.”
John took off his jacket and walked slowly towards Sherlock, his eyes snapping with fury and a less definable emotion. He poked Sherlock in the chest with one finger, hard enough to make Sherlock take a step backwards.
“You - you imbecile!” John snarled. “When am I ever going to get it through that thick head of yours that I am in this for the long haul? Yes, of course I’m upset but that doesn’t mean that I would ever consider . . . how could you possibly suggest? . . .” He was becoming more incoherent as he backed Sherlock against the wall. “For someone with your level of intelligence, you can be so fucking stupid . . .”
As Sherlock finally grasped the root cause of John’s problem, he took the logical course of action and proved that he was, indeed, quite brilliant. He pulled John into his arms and held him tightly against his chest, saying nothing while John shuddered and cursed him roundly. When his anger was spent, Sherlock peppered his face with light kisses, each a wordless apology, and then took him to bed.
From: john@drjhwatson.co.uk
Sent: 4th June
To: dwilliams@h50.hawaii.gov
Subject: TNJ
Sorry for the late response - I, too, have had my hands full but not with the criminal classes; TNJ, as you call him (and at the moment it is a very apt description!), decided to pursue a lead on Moriarty without telling me. Yes, the bastard is apparently alive and well and still making my life a misery! Needless to say, when Sherlock finally reappeared after an absence of several days, we had a few strong words. He is currently on his best behaviour but I cannot find it in myself to appreciate the effort. His actions were inexcusable and I have the grey hairs to prove it. It is an uphill battle to convince him that he actually has someone in his life who cares about him and what happens to him and sending a text saying: Gone after M. Back soon is not acceptable!
It seems neither of us have chosen the sort of partner with whom we can have a quiet, peaceful existence! One wonders sometimes why we have done this to ourselves but, there again, as you have so rightly pointed out, there are compensations.
J.
~~~
(part 2 is here )
Positive feedback is always very welcome!