Sliding Princess Scale part 2 of 2
part 2 of 2 of Sliding Princess Scale because it's too long for one post
part 1 of 2 is here.
“So when you were a SEAL you couldn’t be put to sleep?” Kono asked.
“I could if the doctors had high enough clearance. It was only necessary twice and both times they could hear anything I said,” Steve said.
“You talk when you’re under?” Chin asked.
“A lot of people do, from what I hear,” Danny said. They all watched as the nurse entered with a tray of blood-drawing equipment and a serious expression.
“Go eat,” Steve said. “You can come back when you’re done.”
“He needs to sleep,” the nurse said, turning to give them the evil-eye. “Visiting hours are over.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Danny told her firmly. He didn’t care how scary she looked, she was not throwing him out. He could be even scarier if that became necessary. In cop versus nurse, it might be a tie when it came to intimidation - both verbal and visual.
“His recovery is more important than your need to stay,” she said, her fists on her hips.
“They are not mutually exclusive,” Chin said, stepping up beside Danny as reinforcement.
“In fact, one is dependent on the other,” Kono added, joining forces with the guys.
She looked at them with a raised eyebrow before turning to Steve. “It’s your call, Mr. McGarrett.”
“They need to stay,” Steve said. He was torn between wanting them to leave so they would have a sense of normal, and wanting them to stay because they so clearly needed to be there.
“Very well,” she said, bustling about to draw his blood. Chin and Kono convinced Danny to come down with them to the cafeteria to have what passed there as food. He reluctantly agreed, promising Steve he’d be back as soon as the Bossy Twins allowed it.
“He’s your partner?” the nurse asked as she gently inserted the needle into Steve’s vein. Her previous stern attitude had morphed into kind and caring.
“My work partner,” Steve agreed, staring up at the ceiling with both eyes.
“And?” she prompted, watching him.
“And… that’s all,” Steve said.
“You expect me to believe that is all he is to you?” she asked warmly.
“He’s my best friend,” Steve said. If he sounded tired or more emotionally invested than he normally would, he was going to put it solidly down to the pain that was returning in force.
“And?” she repeated.
Steve sighed. “Is relationship advice part of your services?” he asked. He meant for it to sound like a joke but he failed. Miserably.
“Sweetie, I have three grown sons. Two are married with the most beautiful grandchildren any mother could ever hope to hold. The third is in love but won’t admit it to anyone, not even himself. I recognize the signs. I don’t know what he thinks would happen if he just told his ‘best friend’ how he felt. Especially since I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”
“You’ve been in here for less than five minutes. You know all this how?” Steve asked.
“I’m your third nurse, dear. We keep track of anything that could effect your recovery.”
“But you told them they had to leave,” Steve said.
She waved it away, shaking her head. “Only so we could chat. And they didn’t really need to see this, did they?”
“I guess not,” Steve said, glancing down at the vial that was filling up with his blood. “It’s really too complicated.”
“Matters of the heart generally are. Your friend is a Detective, right?”
“Yeah,” Steve agreed.
“And he’s good at his job?”
“The best.”
“But he hasn’t figured out how you feel about him?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Steve.
“Well,” Steve said. “Maybe he has and doesn’t want to admit it. He’s only ever dated women.”
“Ahh…” she said, expertly sliding out the needle and taping over the puncture.
“Ahh - go for it? Or ahh - I’m S.O.L.?”
“That’s something you have to figure out on your own, dear. But my advice is the same as I give my son - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Your friend loves you. It’s how he defines that love in his head is what you have to find out.”
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. There were other things he could have said to her but, seriously, how did he tell her his thoughts on a potential relationship with Danny before telling Danny? Could it be more complicated?
“Is there anything else you need, dear? You can have water until 11:00. I’d offer to get you food but I suspect you aren’t hungry,” she said as she went about checking his vitals including holding the fingers on his right hand to check for warmth. “Can you squeeze my fingers?”
He did it as well as he could, managing to curl his fingers mostly all the way around hers.
“Very good.”
“Some water,” he said, reaching over for it, careful of the IV in his left arm. She picked up the cup, meeting him halfway. “Thanks.”
“If there is anything you need, use the call button. Or have one of your bodyguards let us know,” she said with a smile.
“I will,” Steve replied. “Thank you for your help.”
“You are more than welcome. And I’ll be back to check on you a little later.”
Steve watched her leave, her words echoing in his head. What was stopping him from telling Danny the truth about how he felt? What was the worst that could happen? Danny would shoot him? No - he was fairly confident that wouldn’t be the outcome.
“That’s some expression you have there, Babe,” Danny said as he returned. “You considering who to kill next?”
“Sure,” Steve said, looking behind Danny. “Where are the cousins?”
“I sent them home. They are on moving detail in the morning,” Danny said as he resumed his seat by Steve’s bed.
“Moving? Who’s moving? One of their cousins?”
“No,” Danny said shaking his head. “You always this dense? Or only after a blow to the head? Cause I got to say, Babe, you are not being the fastest car in the race right now.”
“What?” Steve asked, his adorably confused face in full force. “You are making my head hurt.”
“Chin and Kono are moving some of my clothes from my apartment to your house. To your house where I will be staying for the foreseeable future. You got that so far?”
“Yeah,” Steve said, nodding slowly. “Why?”
“I’m not even answering that,” Danny said. “You’ll have to use the few brain cells still left to figure it out yourself.”
Steve grunted at that, closing his eyes.
“Hey, hey,” Danny said in a gentle voice, immediately standing next to him. “What?”
“I’m okay except you’re wearing me out,” Steve said, opening his eyes to meet Danny’s worried blue ones.
“You also need pain medication. I can see it on your face. Attila the Nurse didn’t take care of that for you?”
“I guess I forgot to mention it,” Steve said with a one shoulder shrug.
“You forgot. Uh huh,” Danny said, going over to the door. “If she doesn’t take my head off, I’ll be right back.”
“She’s actually very nice,” Steve told him, Danny’s face clearly expressing his doubt about the truth of Steve’s statement.
“Excuse me,” Danny said as he approached the nurse’s desk. The one who had thrown him and the cousins out looked up at him, evaluating him critically.
“Yes?” she said, not in the most encouraging way possible.
“Steve needs some pain medication,” Danny said, doing his best not to annoy her any more than just his presence did.
She turned her focus on her computer before glancing up at him. “He could have called.”
“Normal people would have. You’ve met him. He strike you as normal?” Danny was completely surprised when she laughed.
“You have an excellent point,” she said with a smile that lit her entire face. “I’ll be right there, dear. Is he nauseous?”
“No. Just hurting,” Danny said.
She nodded while typing into her computer. “I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
“Thanks,” Danny said, returning to Steve’s room. “Be right here.”
“So I was right, wasn’t I?”
“You were. As much as it pains me to ever agree with you. She was nice,” Danny had to admit.
“She is,” Steve said, shifting briefly. “You know, I’ll be just fine. You should go home and sleep.”
“Yeah. No. Not going to happen. Just as soon as I turn my back, you’ll be taking out your own IV and catheter and calling a cab to take you home. Staying right here, buddy boy,” Danny informed him, looking over at the door when the nurse entered. “She agrees with me, don’t you?”
“I’ve read your file,” the nurse told Steve. “You would try to escape if left without adult supervision.”
“He hardly qualifies,” Steve claimed, making the nurse laugh.
“Still. It’s the best we can do. Unless we handcuff you to the bed,” she replied as she put the pain medication into his IV.
As Steve watched her inject it, he could have sworn that Danny said ‘my thoughts on more than occasion’ but he decided not to ask him. He looked up at the nurse who had a secretive smile on her face. She even winked at him. So maybe he hadn’t imagined it after all. Huh.
It wasn’t long before the world started to blur out and his eyes refused to stay open any longer. He was pretty sure that Danny was still talking as he fell asleep but the sound of his voice was second only to the ocean in lulling him to a peaceful sleep.
~o0oo0o0o~
Bubbles. Everything was bubbles. Bubbles above him. Bubbles to lay on. Bubbles floating by, covered with iridescent rainbows. Bubbles everywhere.
He opened his eyes to find out if the pretty shiny bubbles would stay. Some did. Most vanished. They were replaced by something even better. Danny. His Danny was there.
“Danny Danny my Danno,” Steve said. His smile threatened to break his face but he didn’t care. There was his Danny. Right there. Close enough to touch.
“Steve,” Danny said. He was laughing. That sounded like bubbles.
“Do you see them? Do you see how pretty they are?” Steve asked.
“See what, Babe? All I see is a SEAL doped out of his mind, coming out of anesthesia.”
“Huh,” Steve said, frowning very briefly. He didn’t get to see the seal. Only the bubbles. Well. Never mind. Danny couldn’t see the bubbles so he won.
“I didn’t know it was a contest,” Danny’s laughing voice told him.
“The bubbles. So pretty,” Steve said, watching as one floated by. Once it disappeared, he turned back to look up at Danny. “They’re pretty. But not as pretty as you.”
“Thank you. You are very pretty yourself.”
“You think so, Danno? I’m pretty to you? Even with a black eye?” Steve asked seriously. This was very important.
“I do think so, Steve. I have for a…while,” Danny told him.
“You’re so pretty, Danno,” Steve repeated.
“We’ve established that, Babe,” Danny assured him. “We’re both pretty. Although you probably win.”
“Nope,” Steve said, frowning. “Nobody’s prettier than my Danno."
“I was unaware that I am your Danno.”
“You are. You are my Danno. I want you to be my Danno in every way. In every way a Danno can be a Steve’s,” Steve said, nodding to reinforce how serious he was about it.
“You do?” Danny asked.
His Danno wasn’t smiling any longer. Where was his pretty smile? Why was he unhappy now?
“I’m not unhappy,” Danny told him. “I guess I’m… confused.”
“Confused,” Steve repeated like he wasn’t sure what it meant. “Confused.”
“What are you trying to say, Babe? I usually speak fluent Steve. But I’m not so good with doped up post-operative Steve.”
“I like you, Danno. I like you like you. Like Gracie likes Bobby ‘cept I’m not supposed to tell you that.”
“I know she likes Bobby,” Danny said, a hint of his smile returning. “What I didn’t know was that you felt that way about me.”
“Uh huh. Everybody knows. Everybody but you,” Steve said firmly.
“Everybody, huh?”
“Everybody. Kono. Chin. Nurse Hun. Do you like me like that?” Steve asked.
“If I answer, are you going to remember?” Danny asked.
At least his beautiful blue eyes were smiling. That was good. “Yep. I don’t forget anything you ever say. Ever. Even when you’re ragging me about my cargo pants.”
“That’s impressive,” Danny said. “Can you remember if you’ve ever had a sexual encounter with a man?”
“Uh huh. I can remember that,” Steve said with a great deal of nods.
“And?”
“And?” Steve parroted back to him.
“Have you? Had sex with men?” Danny asked slowly.
“Oh. Uh huh.”
“I see,” Danny said. “Do you know I haven’t?”
“You haven’t?” Steve asked.
“Had sex with a man,” Danny clarified.
“Do you wanna? Cause I wanna. I wanna bad.”
“I picked up on that,” Danny said. “It’s something I have to think about. I got to be honest.”
“Oh. You don’t like me like that,” Steve said sadly.
“That’s not what I’m saying, dope-head. I’m saying I never considered it a possibility.”
“Oh,” Steve said. “I’m goin’ to go back to sleep now.”
“You need to stay awake, Babe. Doctor’s orders. And I thought you were firmly heterosexual,” Danny said. That there was no judgment in the words got through all the drugs in Steve’s system, and all the bubbles still floating by his head.
“Mostly,” Steve said. “Sliding scale. You know - only mostly straight like in Grace’s movie.”
“That’s only mostly dead,” Danny laughed.
“Oh. Same. What will Grace say?”
“What will Grace say about what?” Danny asked.
“That you aren’t mostly straight any more,” Steve explained. He felt an impulse to wave his hand in emphasis but his right one was immobilized and his left was…huh…being held by Danny.
“That hasn’t changed yet,” Danny pointed out.
“But it will. Change. Sliding scale.”
“So I’m a foregone conclusion? Is that what you’re saying?” Danny asked.
“You love me. You think I’m pretty. You…love me,” Steve said.
“No wonder you couldn’t be given anesthesia if the doctors didn’t have clearance. You can’t keep a single thought inside your head, can you?”
“You don’t love me?” Steve asked. If he was pouting, he was putting it down to the drugs and nothing else.
“Oh Babe,” Danny said with a sigh. “It’s more complicated than that. Of course I love you. I sure wouldn’t have spent all this time here if I didn’t. But loving you and making love to you are two different things.”
“They are?” Steve asked, trying very hard to focus on what Danny was saying. Because he was using his ‘this is very important’ voice. Steve knew better than to ignore anything he said in that voice.
“Seriously, Steve. We need to have this conversation later. When you aren’t fascinated by bubbles only you can see. And you can keep track of what we’re saying for longer than 2 seconds.”
“Okay, Danno. If that’s what you want,” Steve said, all agreeable.
“See. That right there proves you aren’t in your right mind. You never agree with me. About anything.”
“Not true. Not even a little bit true,” Steve said. “We agree I drive your car.”
“YOU agree you drive my car,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“Oh,” Steve said. “Okay. You aren’t leaving, right?”
“Leaving? Why would I be leaving? I’m staying so I can drive you home.”
“If you are mad at me. If you don’t like me like I like you, you’ll leave. That’s why I never said before. How I feel. About the sliding Princess scale.”
“I’m not going to leave you, you goof. I do love you. I’m not uncertain about that. It’s taking it to the next level I’m not sure about.”
“Uh huh,” Steve said, accompanied by excessive nodding.
“Uh huh what?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know,” Steve confessed. “I thought I should still be agreeable.”
“I see,” Danny laughed. “How’s your head?”
“Okay. Eye hurts like a bitch.”
“I’ll bet it does. They went through your eye socket to patch the bone. That’s why it’s even more bruised than before.”
“Uh huh,” Steve said because it was safe. So why not stick with it?
“Do you have any idea what I just said to you?” Danny asked, watching Steve watch the bubbles float by. Danny had never seen Steve like this before and he found it both strange and endearing. This was not the bad-ass SEAL that could kill with just his thoughts. This was not the Steve who knew exactly what he was doing and let nothing stand in his way.
And what did Danny think about Steve’s sliding Princess scale? He wasn’t really surprised that Steve wasn’t 100% heterosexual. Although they had never discussed it, and he’d only seen Steve flirt openly with women, he knew a lot of people were on that particular sliding scale. He had no objections to anything anyone might choose to do behind closed doors so long as both parties were legal and agreeable.
As far as his own scale, he didn’t hesitate to acknowledge to himself that his feelings toward Steve had slid progressively closer to ‘I want his mouth on my dick’ over the past two years. Maybe that was why Danny never successfully found a woman he wanted to date long-term. Maybe he knew his heart and soul already belonged to Steve? He was fascinated by Steve and everything that made him so…Steve. Part of that was the undeniable sexuality Steve exuded just by breathing. No one Danny had ever met was as attractive to him as Steve. Combine that with his huge heart, he was irresistible to Danny in every way. Maybe that answered all the questions he’d had up to this point.
Well. There was nothing to be done until Steve had recovered from this anesthesia induced honesty. Danny hoped none of Steve’s enemies, past, present, or future learned of the effect of putting Steve under. Wo Fat would have known exactly how much information Steve possessed about Shelburne and Steve would not have survived that encounter.
“My eye was the entry point of the surgical procedure,” Steve said, sounding more sober. But he was still watching his invisible bubbles so Danny figured he had only partial higher-brain function.
“Yes,” Danny confirmed. “Dr. Kalakaua will be here in about an hour. If he is satisfied with your post-operative situation, he’ll release you into my custody.”
“Are you arresting me?” Steve asked with a goofy grin.
“No but I may use my handcuffs on you. To make sure you stay put.”
Steve crooked a finger at him until Danny leaned closer so Steve could whisper to him. “You can handcuff me any time you want.”
“Good to know,” Danny laughed.
“Preferably naked,” Steve told him seriously.
“That will be on our list of discussion topics,” Danny promised.
“You moving in with me on the list?” Steve asked.
“Whoa. Slow down there cowboy. We should at least go out on our first date before we discuss living arrangements.”
“We were on a date. Until I was used for batting practice,” Steve said.
“Well. I can’t really argue with that,” Danny laughed. “All right. On our second date, we’ll discuss living arrangements.”
“And sex? We’ll discuss having sex?” Steve asked hopefully.
Danny shook his head, gently caressing Steve’s left cheek. “You have it bad.”
“I do. I got the fever and you’re the only cure,” Steve said, Danny grimacing at his attempts to sing.
“Don’t sing,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“’Kay,” Steve agreed happily. Whatever Danny wanted, he could have. Because that would make Danny happy. Which would make Steve happy. Then everybody would be happy.
~o0o0o0o0~
Steve had been out of the hospital for just under a week, Danny living with him the entire time. There was no way he was going to trust Steve not to try and go swimming with his cast. Swimming would have been disastrous for his arm and his eye. Steve’s face was a collage of colors, his eye less swollen although he still looked like he’d lost the fight. He was a much more complacent patient than Danny had expected but he thought Steve was trying very hard to be agreeable, even without the pretty bubbles to distract him.
They were on the couch watching the Indiana Jones trilogy. Danny told him if he was going to insist on being dragged by police vans, he at least needed to learn from the best.
“A leather jacket, Steve,” Danny said, unconsciously massaging Steve’s feet where they lay in his lap. “That’s how you dress to be dragged under a truck.”
“Right. Because we all need leather jackets in Hawaii,” Steve said.
“He was in Jordan. In the desert. The desert,” Danny said, waving his free hand at the TV in emphasis.
“Should I ride horses down Ala Moana too?”
“Sure. Because then everyone would know you are certifiably crazy. Not just me.”
Steve grinned at that, like Danny had just complimented him. Danny shook his head, focusing back on the movie as his hand slid inside the bottom of Steve’s sweatpants to knead his calf muscles.
“I remember, you know,” Steve said casually, his focus apparently on the movie.
“Remember what? That you are truly nuts?” Danny asked.
“Everything I said right before I was released. As I was still coming out of the anesthesia,” Steve said. He sounded completely relaxed and Danny felt no tension in his muscles.
“Okay,” Danny said, shifting all of his focus to Steve. If Steve wanted to talk, he was certainly open to listening. They hadn’t discussed Steve’s combination confession/proposition but Danny had known it was only a matter of time before they did.
“I thought you’d ask about it,” Steve said, watching Danny carefully.
“They were your confessions,” Danny replied. “It was incumbent upon you to bring it up.”
“Incumbent?” Steve asked with a laugh.
“So do you want to talk about propositioning me or make fun of me?”
“Are they mutually exclusive?” Steve asked sensibly.
“No,” Danny had to agree. “I don’t suppose they are.”
“I was high,” Steve confirmed. “But that doesn’t make anything I said less true. It loosened my tongue, not implanted those thoughts.”
“I figured,” Danny said with a nod. “And don’t think I haven’t considered everything you said.”
“I thought you might have. Have you reached any conclusions?” Steve asked. He sounded hopeful but not desperately so.
“I have,” Danny teased.
“Would you care to share?” Steve asked with an edge of impatience. Instead of answering, Danny slid out from under Steve’s feet, very carefully stretching out over him. Danny took advantage of the gasp of surprise to cover Steve’s mouth with his own, kissing him. And not just kissing him but kissing him.
“How’s that for an answer?” Danny asked with a pleased smile down at him.
“Better than I expected,” Steve said, his left hand curling around the back of Danny’s head. He pulled him down for another kiss, all their pent-up passion leaking into it. “This stupid cast,” Steve said, looking at it. It was between them, preventing Danny to fully lay on top of Steve.
“We’ll make do,” Danny promised, kissing him again. “Right now I’d like to go upstairs and start the slide the rest of way down the scale.”
“As you wish, Buttercup,” Steve agreed with a laugh. He allowed Danny to pull him to his feet and up the stairs where they started the next chapter of their own story.
part 1 of 2 is here.
“So when you were a SEAL you couldn’t be put to sleep?” Kono asked.
“I could if the doctors had high enough clearance. It was only necessary twice and both times they could hear anything I said,” Steve said.
“You talk when you’re under?” Chin asked.
“A lot of people do, from what I hear,” Danny said. They all watched as the nurse entered with a tray of blood-drawing equipment and a serious expression.
“Go eat,” Steve said. “You can come back when you’re done.”
“He needs to sleep,” the nurse said, turning to give them the evil-eye. “Visiting hours are over.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Danny told her firmly. He didn’t care how scary she looked, she was not throwing him out. He could be even scarier if that became necessary. In cop versus nurse, it might be a tie when it came to intimidation - both verbal and visual.
“His recovery is more important than your need to stay,” she said, her fists on her hips.
“They are not mutually exclusive,” Chin said, stepping up beside Danny as reinforcement.
“In fact, one is dependent on the other,” Kono added, joining forces with the guys.
She looked at them with a raised eyebrow before turning to Steve. “It’s your call, Mr. McGarrett.”
“They need to stay,” Steve said. He was torn between wanting them to leave so they would have a sense of normal, and wanting them to stay because they so clearly needed to be there.
“Very well,” she said, bustling about to draw his blood. Chin and Kono convinced Danny to come down with them to the cafeteria to have what passed there as food. He reluctantly agreed, promising Steve he’d be back as soon as the Bossy Twins allowed it.
“He’s your partner?” the nurse asked as she gently inserted the needle into Steve’s vein. Her previous stern attitude had morphed into kind and caring.
“My work partner,” Steve agreed, staring up at the ceiling with both eyes.
“And?” she prompted, watching him.
“And… that’s all,” Steve said.
“You expect me to believe that is all he is to you?” she asked warmly.
“He’s my best friend,” Steve said. If he sounded tired or more emotionally invested than he normally would, he was going to put it solidly down to the pain that was returning in force.
“And?” she repeated.
Steve sighed. “Is relationship advice part of your services?” he asked. He meant for it to sound like a joke but he failed. Miserably.
“Sweetie, I have three grown sons. Two are married with the most beautiful grandchildren any mother could ever hope to hold. The third is in love but won’t admit it to anyone, not even himself. I recognize the signs. I don’t know what he thinks would happen if he just told his ‘best friend’ how he felt. Especially since I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”
“You’ve been in here for less than five minutes. You know all this how?” Steve asked.
“I’m your third nurse, dear. We keep track of anything that could effect your recovery.”
“But you told them they had to leave,” Steve said.
She waved it away, shaking her head. “Only so we could chat. And they didn’t really need to see this, did they?”
“I guess not,” Steve said, glancing down at the vial that was filling up with his blood. “It’s really too complicated.”
“Matters of the heart generally are. Your friend is a Detective, right?”
“Yeah,” Steve agreed.
“And he’s good at his job?”
“The best.”
“But he hasn’t figured out how you feel about him?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at Steve.
“Well,” Steve said. “Maybe he has and doesn’t want to admit it. He’s only ever dated women.”
“Ahh…” she said, expertly sliding out the needle and taping over the puncture.
“Ahh - go for it? Or ahh - I’m S.O.L.?”
“That’s something you have to figure out on your own, dear. But my advice is the same as I give my son - nothing ventured, nothing gained. Your friend loves you. It’s how he defines that love in his head is what you have to find out.”
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. There were other things he could have said to her but, seriously, how did he tell her his thoughts on a potential relationship with Danny before telling Danny? Could it be more complicated?
“Is there anything else you need, dear? You can have water until 11:00. I’d offer to get you food but I suspect you aren’t hungry,” she said as she went about checking his vitals including holding the fingers on his right hand to check for warmth. “Can you squeeze my fingers?”
He did it as well as he could, managing to curl his fingers mostly all the way around hers.
“Very good.”
“Some water,” he said, reaching over for it, careful of the IV in his left arm. She picked up the cup, meeting him halfway. “Thanks.”
“If there is anything you need, use the call button. Or have one of your bodyguards let us know,” she said with a smile.
“I will,” Steve replied. “Thank you for your help.”
“You are more than welcome. And I’ll be back to check on you a little later.”
Steve watched her leave, her words echoing in his head. What was stopping him from telling Danny the truth about how he felt? What was the worst that could happen? Danny would shoot him? No - he was fairly confident that wouldn’t be the outcome.
“That’s some expression you have there, Babe,” Danny said as he returned. “You considering who to kill next?”
“Sure,” Steve said, looking behind Danny. “Where are the cousins?”
“I sent them home. They are on moving detail in the morning,” Danny said as he resumed his seat by Steve’s bed.
“Moving? Who’s moving? One of their cousins?”
“No,” Danny said shaking his head. “You always this dense? Or only after a blow to the head? Cause I got to say, Babe, you are not being the fastest car in the race right now.”
“What?” Steve asked, his adorably confused face in full force. “You are making my head hurt.”
“Chin and Kono are moving some of my clothes from my apartment to your house. To your house where I will be staying for the foreseeable future. You got that so far?”
“Yeah,” Steve said, nodding slowly. “Why?”
“I’m not even answering that,” Danny said. “You’ll have to use the few brain cells still left to figure it out yourself.”
Steve grunted at that, closing his eyes.
“Hey, hey,” Danny said in a gentle voice, immediately standing next to him. “What?”
“I’m okay except you’re wearing me out,” Steve said, opening his eyes to meet Danny’s worried blue ones.
“You also need pain medication. I can see it on your face. Attila the Nurse didn’t take care of that for you?”
“I guess I forgot to mention it,” Steve said with a one shoulder shrug.
“You forgot. Uh huh,” Danny said, going over to the door. “If she doesn’t take my head off, I’ll be right back.”
“She’s actually very nice,” Steve told him, Danny’s face clearly expressing his doubt about the truth of Steve’s statement.
“Excuse me,” Danny said as he approached the nurse’s desk. The one who had thrown him and the cousins out looked up at him, evaluating him critically.
“Yes?” she said, not in the most encouraging way possible.
“Steve needs some pain medication,” Danny said, doing his best not to annoy her any more than just his presence did.
She turned her focus on her computer before glancing up at him. “He could have called.”
“Normal people would have. You’ve met him. He strike you as normal?” Danny was completely surprised when she laughed.
“You have an excellent point,” she said with a smile that lit her entire face. “I’ll be right there, dear. Is he nauseous?”
“No. Just hurting,” Danny said.
She nodded while typing into her computer. “I’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
“Thanks,” Danny said, returning to Steve’s room. “Be right here.”
“So I was right, wasn’t I?”
“You were. As much as it pains me to ever agree with you. She was nice,” Danny had to admit.
“She is,” Steve said, shifting briefly. “You know, I’ll be just fine. You should go home and sleep.”
“Yeah. No. Not going to happen. Just as soon as I turn my back, you’ll be taking out your own IV and catheter and calling a cab to take you home. Staying right here, buddy boy,” Danny informed him, looking over at the door when the nurse entered. “She agrees with me, don’t you?”
“I’ve read your file,” the nurse told Steve. “You would try to escape if left without adult supervision.”
“He hardly qualifies,” Steve claimed, making the nurse laugh.
“Still. It’s the best we can do. Unless we handcuff you to the bed,” she replied as she put the pain medication into his IV.
As Steve watched her inject it, he could have sworn that Danny said ‘my thoughts on more than occasion’ but he decided not to ask him. He looked up at the nurse who had a secretive smile on her face. She even winked at him. So maybe he hadn’t imagined it after all. Huh.
It wasn’t long before the world started to blur out and his eyes refused to stay open any longer. He was pretty sure that Danny was still talking as he fell asleep but the sound of his voice was second only to the ocean in lulling him to a peaceful sleep.
~o0oo0o0o~
Bubbles. Everything was bubbles. Bubbles above him. Bubbles to lay on. Bubbles floating by, covered with iridescent rainbows. Bubbles everywhere.
He opened his eyes to find out if the pretty shiny bubbles would stay. Some did. Most vanished. They were replaced by something even better. Danny. His Danny was there.
“Danny Danny my Danno,” Steve said. His smile threatened to break his face but he didn’t care. There was his Danny. Right there. Close enough to touch.
“Steve,” Danny said. He was laughing. That sounded like bubbles.
“Do you see them? Do you see how pretty they are?” Steve asked.
“See what, Babe? All I see is a SEAL doped out of his mind, coming out of anesthesia.”
“Huh,” Steve said, frowning very briefly. He didn’t get to see the seal. Only the bubbles. Well. Never mind. Danny couldn’t see the bubbles so he won.
“I didn’t know it was a contest,” Danny’s laughing voice told him.
“The bubbles. So pretty,” Steve said, watching as one floated by. Once it disappeared, he turned back to look up at Danny. “They’re pretty. But not as pretty as you.”
“Thank you. You are very pretty yourself.”
“You think so, Danno? I’m pretty to you? Even with a black eye?” Steve asked seriously. This was very important.
“I do think so, Steve. I have for a…while,” Danny told him.
“You’re so pretty, Danno,” Steve repeated.
“We’ve established that, Babe,” Danny assured him. “We’re both pretty. Although you probably win.”
“Nope,” Steve said, frowning. “Nobody’s prettier than my Danno."
“I was unaware that I am your Danno.”
“You are. You are my Danno. I want you to be my Danno in every way. In every way a Danno can be a Steve’s,” Steve said, nodding to reinforce how serious he was about it.
“You do?” Danny asked.
His Danno wasn’t smiling any longer. Where was his pretty smile? Why was he unhappy now?
“I’m not unhappy,” Danny told him. “I guess I’m… confused.”
“Confused,” Steve repeated like he wasn’t sure what it meant. “Confused.”
“What are you trying to say, Babe? I usually speak fluent Steve. But I’m not so good with doped up post-operative Steve.”
“I like you, Danno. I like you like you. Like Gracie likes Bobby ‘cept I’m not supposed to tell you that.”
“I know she likes Bobby,” Danny said, a hint of his smile returning. “What I didn’t know was that you felt that way about me.”
“Uh huh. Everybody knows. Everybody but you,” Steve said firmly.
“Everybody, huh?”
“Everybody. Kono. Chin. Nurse Hun. Do you like me like that?” Steve asked.
“If I answer, are you going to remember?” Danny asked.
At least his beautiful blue eyes were smiling. That was good. “Yep. I don’t forget anything you ever say. Ever. Even when you’re ragging me about my cargo pants.”
“That’s impressive,” Danny said. “Can you remember if you’ve ever had a sexual encounter with a man?”
“Uh huh. I can remember that,” Steve said with a great deal of nods.
“And?”
“And?” Steve parroted back to him.
“Have you? Had sex with men?” Danny asked slowly.
“Oh. Uh huh.”
“I see,” Danny said. “Do you know I haven’t?”
“You haven’t?” Steve asked.
“Had sex with a man,” Danny clarified.
“Do you wanna? Cause I wanna. I wanna bad.”
“I picked up on that,” Danny said. “It’s something I have to think about. I got to be honest.”
“Oh. You don’t like me like that,” Steve said sadly.
“That’s not what I’m saying, dope-head. I’m saying I never considered it a possibility.”
“Oh,” Steve said. “I’m goin’ to go back to sleep now.”
“You need to stay awake, Babe. Doctor’s orders. And I thought you were firmly heterosexual,” Danny said. That there was no judgment in the words got through all the drugs in Steve’s system, and all the bubbles still floating by his head.
“Mostly,” Steve said. “Sliding scale. You know - only mostly straight like in Grace’s movie.”
“That’s only mostly dead,” Danny laughed.
“Oh. Same. What will Grace say?”
“What will Grace say about what?” Danny asked.
“That you aren’t mostly straight any more,” Steve explained. He felt an impulse to wave his hand in emphasis but his right one was immobilized and his left was…huh…being held by Danny.
“That hasn’t changed yet,” Danny pointed out.
“But it will. Change. Sliding scale.”
“So I’m a foregone conclusion? Is that what you’re saying?” Danny asked.
“You love me. You think I’m pretty. You…love me,” Steve said.
“No wonder you couldn’t be given anesthesia if the doctors didn’t have clearance. You can’t keep a single thought inside your head, can you?”
“You don’t love me?” Steve asked. If he was pouting, he was putting it down to the drugs and nothing else.
“Oh Babe,” Danny said with a sigh. “It’s more complicated than that. Of course I love you. I sure wouldn’t have spent all this time here if I didn’t. But loving you and making love to you are two different things.”
“They are?” Steve asked, trying very hard to focus on what Danny was saying. Because he was using his ‘this is very important’ voice. Steve knew better than to ignore anything he said in that voice.
“Seriously, Steve. We need to have this conversation later. When you aren’t fascinated by bubbles only you can see. And you can keep track of what we’re saying for longer than 2 seconds.”
“Okay, Danno. If that’s what you want,” Steve said, all agreeable.
“See. That right there proves you aren’t in your right mind. You never agree with me. About anything.”
“Not true. Not even a little bit true,” Steve said. “We agree I drive your car.”
“YOU agree you drive my car,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“Oh,” Steve said. “Okay. You aren’t leaving, right?”
“Leaving? Why would I be leaving? I’m staying so I can drive you home.”
“If you are mad at me. If you don’t like me like I like you, you’ll leave. That’s why I never said before. How I feel. About the sliding Princess scale.”
“I’m not going to leave you, you goof. I do love you. I’m not uncertain about that. It’s taking it to the next level I’m not sure about.”
“Uh huh,” Steve said, accompanied by excessive nodding.
“Uh huh what?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know,” Steve confessed. “I thought I should still be agreeable.”
“I see,” Danny laughed. “How’s your head?”
“Okay. Eye hurts like a bitch.”
“I’ll bet it does. They went through your eye socket to patch the bone. That’s why it’s even more bruised than before.”
“Uh huh,” Steve said because it was safe. So why not stick with it?
“Do you have any idea what I just said to you?” Danny asked, watching Steve watch the bubbles float by. Danny had never seen Steve like this before and he found it both strange and endearing. This was not the bad-ass SEAL that could kill with just his thoughts. This was not the Steve who knew exactly what he was doing and let nothing stand in his way.
And what did Danny think about Steve’s sliding Princess scale? He wasn’t really surprised that Steve wasn’t 100% heterosexual. Although they had never discussed it, and he’d only seen Steve flirt openly with women, he knew a lot of people were on that particular sliding scale. He had no objections to anything anyone might choose to do behind closed doors so long as both parties were legal and agreeable.
As far as his own scale, he didn’t hesitate to acknowledge to himself that his feelings toward Steve had slid progressively closer to ‘I want his mouth on my dick’ over the past two years. Maybe that was why Danny never successfully found a woman he wanted to date long-term. Maybe he knew his heart and soul already belonged to Steve? He was fascinated by Steve and everything that made him so…Steve. Part of that was the undeniable sexuality Steve exuded just by breathing. No one Danny had ever met was as attractive to him as Steve. Combine that with his huge heart, he was irresistible to Danny in every way. Maybe that answered all the questions he’d had up to this point.
Well. There was nothing to be done until Steve had recovered from this anesthesia induced honesty. Danny hoped none of Steve’s enemies, past, present, or future learned of the effect of putting Steve under. Wo Fat would have known exactly how much information Steve possessed about Shelburne and Steve would not have survived that encounter.
“My eye was the entry point of the surgical procedure,” Steve said, sounding more sober. But he was still watching his invisible bubbles so Danny figured he had only partial higher-brain function.
“Yes,” Danny confirmed. “Dr. Kalakaua will be here in about an hour. If he is satisfied with your post-operative situation, he’ll release you into my custody.”
“Are you arresting me?” Steve asked with a goofy grin.
“No but I may use my handcuffs on you. To make sure you stay put.”
Steve crooked a finger at him until Danny leaned closer so Steve could whisper to him. “You can handcuff me any time you want.”
“Good to know,” Danny laughed.
“Preferably naked,” Steve told him seriously.
“That will be on our list of discussion topics,” Danny promised.
“You moving in with me on the list?” Steve asked.
“Whoa. Slow down there cowboy. We should at least go out on our first date before we discuss living arrangements.”
“We were on a date. Until I was used for batting practice,” Steve said.
“Well. I can’t really argue with that,” Danny laughed. “All right. On our second date, we’ll discuss living arrangements.”
“And sex? We’ll discuss having sex?” Steve asked hopefully.
Danny shook his head, gently caressing Steve’s left cheek. “You have it bad.”
“I do. I got the fever and you’re the only cure,” Steve said, Danny grimacing at his attempts to sing.
“Don’t sing,” Danny said, shaking his head.
“’Kay,” Steve agreed happily. Whatever Danny wanted, he could have. Because that would make Danny happy. Which would make Steve happy. Then everybody would be happy.
~o0o0o0o0~
Steve had been out of the hospital for just under a week, Danny living with him the entire time. There was no way he was going to trust Steve not to try and go swimming with his cast. Swimming would have been disastrous for his arm and his eye. Steve’s face was a collage of colors, his eye less swollen although he still looked like he’d lost the fight. He was a much more complacent patient than Danny had expected but he thought Steve was trying very hard to be agreeable, even without the pretty bubbles to distract him.
They were on the couch watching the Indiana Jones trilogy. Danny told him if he was going to insist on being dragged by police vans, he at least needed to learn from the best.
“A leather jacket, Steve,” Danny said, unconsciously massaging Steve’s feet where they lay in his lap. “That’s how you dress to be dragged under a truck.”
“Right. Because we all need leather jackets in Hawaii,” Steve said.
“He was in Jordan. In the desert. The desert,” Danny said, waving his free hand at the TV in emphasis.
“Should I ride horses down Ala Moana too?”
“Sure. Because then everyone would know you are certifiably crazy. Not just me.”
Steve grinned at that, like Danny had just complimented him. Danny shook his head, focusing back on the movie as his hand slid inside the bottom of Steve’s sweatpants to knead his calf muscles.
“I remember, you know,” Steve said casually, his focus apparently on the movie.
“Remember what? That you are truly nuts?” Danny asked.
“Everything I said right before I was released. As I was still coming out of the anesthesia,” Steve said. He sounded completely relaxed and Danny felt no tension in his muscles.
“Okay,” Danny said, shifting all of his focus to Steve. If Steve wanted to talk, he was certainly open to listening. They hadn’t discussed Steve’s combination confession/proposition but Danny had known it was only a matter of time before they did.
“I thought you’d ask about it,” Steve said, watching Danny carefully.
“They were your confessions,” Danny replied. “It was incumbent upon you to bring it up.”
“Incumbent?” Steve asked with a laugh.
“So do you want to talk about propositioning me or make fun of me?”
“Are they mutually exclusive?” Steve asked sensibly.
“No,” Danny had to agree. “I don’t suppose they are.”
“I was high,” Steve confirmed. “But that doesn’t make anything I said less true. It loosened my tongue, not implanted those thoughts.”
“I figured,” Danny said with a nod. “And don’t think I haven’t considered everything you said.”
“I thought you might have. Have you reached any conclusions?” Steve asked. He sounded hopeful but not desperately so.
“I have,” Danny teased.
“Would you care to share?” Steve asked with an edge of impatience. Instead of answering, Danny slid out from under Steve’s feet, very carefully stretching out over him. Danny took advantage of the gasp of surprise to cover Steve’s mouth with his own, kissing him. And not just kissing him but kissing him.
“How’s that for an answer?” Danny asked with a pleased smile down at him.
“Better than I expected,” Steve said, his left hand curling around the back of Danny’s head. He pulled him down for another kiss, all their pent-up passion leaking into it. “This stupid cast,” Steve said, looking at it. It was between them, preventing Danny to fully lay on top of Steve.
“We’ll make do,” Danny promised, kissing him again. “Right now I’d like to go upstairs and start the slide the rest of way down the scale.”
“As you wish, Buttercup,” Steve agreed with a laugh. He allowed Danny to pull him to his feet and up the stairs where they started the next chapter of their own story.