fic: Stereolove
title: Stereolove
pairing: Steve/Danny
words: 8k
rating: pg-13
summary: Steve and Danny must go undercover on a charity couples cruise. Pretend-to-be-together fic, on a ship! This is one of those McDanno things.
a/n: This fic was written for crazykookie and shifty-gardener. beta'd by longswordho. Accidental use of "Sky Line," which was that mountain in X-Files. Whoops, it's all there, in mah brain.
"I want you and Detective Williams to attend the annual Charity Couples Cruise this weekend." The Governor rarely minced words over the phone, and this time was no different.
"Let me guess, Governor," Steve said. "An undercover mission, whole black tie affair."
"Something like that," she said. "We have reason to believe that drug smugglers may be aboard, although it's just a suspicion, and they can't cancel the cruise on such short notice, both because it's for high paying charity members and also because a lot of Hawaii's tourist industry is based around the legitimacy of cruise liners. We'd like you to keep an eye on things."
"I understand," Steve said. "No offense meant, of course, but does this have anything to do with the fact that Senator Wilson is on the island?"
"Nothing gets past you."
"I apologize again for tackling his body guard last time they were here."
"Lucky for you that he turned out to be after all," she said. "But really, this job is not just an excuse to keep you off the island. I'd rather have my best men keeping an eye on what does not seem like a threat yet, but which could grow into one. You'll need to appear as inconspicuous as possible, so I've registered you and Detective Williams together. The tickets will be delivered to you today."
"I have your best interests in mind, Governor. I won't let you down."
"Oh and Steven?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Tell your partner not to mess this one up."
*
"I think you know the answer to this one already." Danny's voice sounded stern over the phone, unmovable, but in Steve's experience, he gave in at the first good argument.
Steve remained silent.
"It's not that it will be hard," Danny continued, probably making a chopping motion with his hand. "It's that it will be on a boat. For two days." Another swing of his arm. "In the water, no land in sight."
"We'll be within sight of land," Steve said. "It'll be a luxurious weekend circling the island, not an expedition to find mainland America. And you wanna argue with the governor on this one?"
"You know, sometimes I really hate you."
"Yeah, yeah."
Before Steve hung up, Danny said, "What cruise company did you say it was?"
"Sky Line," Steve said, pausing at the tone. "Why?"
"Shit," Danny said. "Shit, shit. Rachel and Stepstan are taking Grace on a charity cruise this weekend, one specifically for couples."
That would make sense. "It's got to be the same one. That's why the Governor was so sure you'd agree--"
"I've gotta keep that ship safe for Grace," Danny said. "Steve. I'm in. We are-- We are going to waste these guys. They will never look at a cruise the same way again, won't look at anything other than the inside of a cell--"
"Ok, I got ya Danny, just, chill." He could hear Danny fuming over the phone, probably pacing the clothing-strewn carpet of his five-by-ten. "We do our jobs, and these guys won't get anywhere near your daughter. And congratulations."
"For what?"
"Your second marriage. You and me, baby, registered."
Danny laughed, sounding less worked up, if only a bit. "So, what, not even gonna ask me out? And tell me again why I'm not pretend-civil-unioned to Chin?"
"I'm going to be honest here," Steve said. "I'm going to say what we both know to be true: Kono is the only one of us who is suave enough to land a guy like Chin. And besides, they're staying shoreside, full access to the console, how they work best. Although Kono could be useful when something goes down--"
"You mean ass kicking? Don't you?" Danny said. "And why do you say when, like there's no other option. We could, if it doesn't interfere with this whole James Bond image you have of yourself, just quietly arrest them."
Steve brushed this off as the ridiculous statement that it was. He chose to take much of what Danny said as rhetorical, he'd seen that pleased expression countless times after they'd had a good fist fight with a gang of bad guys. He didn't say any of this aloud, instead saying: "Pick you up at 7?"
Danny sighed into the phone. "If only you meant evening."
Steve threw another gun into his small duffle. "Look just pack your bags, sweetheart. It's only for two days, I'm sure you can hold out for that long."
*
The cruise liner was your typical 400 foot, with hydraulic motors and a caterpillar drive.
"Yeah, I don't know what that means," Danny said, and then crouched next to Grace. "That's a fancy cruise liner full of well-dressed, stuffy people. You 'n me are going to go undercover."
"Ok, Danno."
"You excited for the waterslide?"
"Yes!" she yelled.
"It's for children," Steve reminded him.
"I know that."
"I know you know it," Steve said. "But I see you eying it."
"It would be unsafe for Grace to go down it alone."
"Right."
"Don't give me parenting advice." Danny stood. Steve smiled serenely down at him. "Are you giving me parenting advice?"
"Danny?"
"What."
"Put on your lei."
Danny turned to see the two crew members who were advancing on them, laughing, saying, "Welcome! Aloha!"
"My--" Danny said, pushing Grace behind him on reflex. "Oh no, I am not putting on another--"
"You like leis, don't you Grace?" Steve asked. She nodded, and then moved forward for a woman to put a flower in her pig tails.
Despite his muttering about indignities and floral allergies, Danny accepted two leis himself with some modicum of dignity, although they barely fit around his giant neck. Steve would have to check into his claim; first the knee, now the sinuses. At least Danny was off the cane.
He ducked his head and was loaded down with three leis himself, brightly colored and smelling of sunshine.
"Mahalo," he said. The day was warm, and the smell of salt reminded him of the more happy times in the Navy, before his father had died and his life had changed forever.
He followed Danny and Grace up the ramp and onto the ship, reflecting how recent months had marked a sort of new start. He smiled to himself, until Danny shouted back for him to hurry up, he wasn't leaving him alone on this godforsaken boat.
Steve loved cruises.
*
They met Rachel on deck with her amber husband. Danny stopped when they caught sight of them down the walk, and Steve followed his gaze, noticing that Rachel did look objectively beautiful, her modest, blue sundress moving prettily in the slight breeze as she came towards them. Behind her was Stepstan.
Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder when he reached past to shake the man's hand. It wasn't his fault, any of it. He seemed like a nice enough guy, he was just suspicious in the context of Danny's life and his relation to Grace, the thing that mattered to Danny most. So, although Steve didn't have the time nor the emotion to dislike the man, he also couldn't like him either.
"Shall we?" Rachel asked. She swept past the three of them, holding Grace's hand, and pink backpack which doubtlessly contained the bejeweled Hello Kitty laptop.
The three men looked at one another. Or, really, Steve looked around at the scenery, the ocean they'd soon be sailing into and the impending sunset, while Danny let out a few choice grunts which sounded more like warnings.
Rich philanthropists were boarding around them, dressed in khakis and careful floral prints, large brimmed sun hats, at least a third of which would be blown into the sea. Expensive laughter. Coral-colored lipsticks and Rolexes.
Danny squinted at Stepstan, who had the face like a modern-day Lincoln: coppery, noble. After a moment, the man muttered, "right," under his breath, and then strode off after Rachel.
Steve stared at Danny.
"What?" Danny said. "What?"
"Be nice." Steve patted him on the shoulder again and then said, "Let's go find our room."
"Then drinks?"
"Of course; we're on a cruise."
"You love this!" Danny accused, striding along at his elbow. They wove their way through the slow-moving couples. "You like cruises."
"Of course I do," Steve said. "But I'm assuming you don't, given your relationship with anything that's not asphalt."
"I like both feet on the ground, thank you."
Their rooms were on the third floor, two floors above the casino and one above the dining area. Danny ranted a bit about how expensive this could be, about rich people in general, and Stepstan, until Steve mentioned that the governor had given them each a $500 allowance, just so they looked like they fit in. It wouldn't do to draw attention to themselves by not taking part in the festivities. Danny seemed appeased, if still grumpy.
Their bags had already been delivered, and there was only one bed, but that was to be expected. It was large, with a wonderful white duvet and six pillows. Steve had slept on all manner of surfaces - beds and rocks at sea alike - anything was better than hard ground in the forest, really.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" Steve said as they unpacked a few things.
"It's not completely horrible."
Steve could hear the concession in Danny's voice. He felt like he knew Danny well by this point, and there seemed to be two things he loved most in the world, and they were here, on this ship.
"I know you're excited to spend two days eating and spending time with your daughter. This is your idea of a perfect weekend, admit it."
Danny didn't even skip a beat when he said, "Yours, too."
*
At lunch, during which time Steve ordered three plates of Turf, Rachel asked the five million dollar question:
"Tell me again why you've suddenly arrived at a charity event specifically for couples who have donated to the environmental campaign?"
Steve slid in before Danny could respond emotionally.
"Rachel." She took a moment to look over to him, which Steve could understand; Danny's facial expression of choice was always riveting, regardless what emotion he was conveying. "Danny and I are here on the charity cruise because a large sum of money was donated on our behalf. More importantly, though, Danny here doesn't remember how to have fun, and I myself would like to do some gambling. Stan, you a gambling man?"
"Well, I--" Stan began, but Danny cut him off.
"Steve, although your response is, as always, clear, it also, characteristically, naively, missed the biting undertone, namely that my lovely ex-wife is wondering why you and I are --" he made an ambiguous gesture between them.
Steve mimed what Danny had done so he'd experience the ridiculous gesture himself.
"What is this? What is this hand motion?"
"I'm making a gesture that would be clear, at this juncture of the sentence, to ordinary people."
"So I'm not ordinary?"
"No, dear," Danny said. "You're quite abnormal."
"I didn't understand your hand gestures either," Stan jumped in.
Danny turned in his chair. "All due respect, Step, I'm having a conversation with my partner." He turned back to Steve. "It was a gesture to leave unsaid something that should have been implied, so as not to speak it aloud, i.e. the big gay elephant in the room. Rachel would like to know why we, as an item are aboard this ship."
"Oh," Steve said.
"And the answer is...." Rachel prompted.
"True love," Danny said, throwing a casual arm over the back of Steve's chair. "You know how it is."
"Really." She looked at Steve appraisingly, before returning to her salad. "Not bad."
"That's it?" Danny said.
"Well, I admit I'm a bit shocked that it's so soon," she said. "And miffed that we weren't invited, or made aware, but the attraction is clear."
"Been together since we met," Steve told her. He smiled indulgently at Danny, who dug into his meal, shaking his head, like Steve was on his own with this one. Steve had faced down twenty men with just a jump rope in his hands, and had lived to tell the tale; he could handle, and even win over, his partner's ex-wife, someone he actually found himself admiring a great deal.
"We signed the papers once Hawaii legislation passed," he explained. "Which allowed civil unions as of the 1st of the year. It's true that our relationship has been short, but what can you do? If you know, you know, and besides, you never know when they're gonna take it away. In any case, it was a kind of whirlwind thing. I don't care much for big flowery affairs, so Danny had to compromise."
"Oh did I?" Danny said.
"Yeah, sorry about that. No roses strewn across every surface," Steve said. "You have allergies, anyway. I've heard how you complain."
"He does tend to go overboard," Rachel agreed.
"His mom and I get along great," Steve confided.
"Oh, how is Meredith?"
"Wonderful," Danny said to himself. The server arrived with a tray weighed heavy with frosty, bell glasses, and Danny anchored a few.
"Here ya go, Step." He placed a 24oz crushed-ice cocktail on the table in front of the man, and then one in front of Rachel.
"Don't call him that," Rachel said.
"It's fine, darling," Stepstan pulled the drink to him. The man was obviously still wary of Danny after the display of Alpha Father behavior in the Camaro a few months before.
Danny handed Steve his with a warning smile, and Steve clinked their glasses together. They were going to have blue tongues for the rest of the cruise.
Danny toasted to the the others.
"I'll get the next ones," Step told him.
After paying, Danny went to put his wallet back in his pocket, but Steve stopped him with a hand at the wrist. Danny resisted momentarily, but they were in public, and weren't going to engage in tug-of-war games suitable for five-year-olds, and Steve knew that it was only a matter of time before Danny gave in, he always did.
Danny released the wallet. Steve flipped it open, and tugged at a corner of something wedged in a pocket.
"What have we here?"
Rachel and Stepstan looked around as well, sipping at their neon-colored straws.
"Oh, that's just, uh," Danny said. Steve held the wallet out of his reach, and pulled out a photo.
"Oh," he said. "It's you and me at the shaved ice stand, right around the time we started working together. How long have you had this in here?"
"None of your business."
"Everything's my business, sweetheart." Chin had probably given it to Danny to make their story more believable, and even had made sure to wear it out around the edges so it looked like Danny had had it for longer. Steve felt a rush of pride; his team was so thorough, he'd have to remember to thank Chin later.
"Just-- you're making me feel like a sap," Danny grumbled. He grabbed the picture back, replaced it gently in the wallet, and put his wallet in his shorts.
"It's cute," Steve said. He sipped at his drink as Danny gave him a withering look.
"That's it?" Danny said. "It's cute? Oh stop, please, you slay me, no more."
When Steve looked up, Rachel and Stepstan were giving one another a secret smile. Steve smiled himself.
Embarrassing Danny was one of his favorite past times, he found a way to incorporate it into nearly everything they did. It went hand-in-hand with impressing Danny, and with learning more about Danny's former life. Danny gave out stories like they were nothing, but Steve picked them apart for deeper meanings, parsing in-story expletives like they were the mile markers that had led Danny to Oahu.
The governor had told them to keep an eye out, not to necessarily take the wheel, so they took an afternoon stroll around the massive ship. Steve was of the philosophy that you took down the enemy before they even began to plan, and Danny wanted distraction after the long lunch with Rachel and Step, that much was clear, so he went along a little easier, even after Steve explained that this wasn't there mission, per se, and that the governor had only told them to do some investigating if they saw anything suspicious.
"Alright, alright, you think I don't know how you work," Danny said. "If something suspicious doesn't find you, you find it, I get it."
They walked the decks slowly, talking a bit, really keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Been on the job long enough, and it was something you learned to spot.
People were all over the food deck partaking in meals for sixty dollars and drinks for not much less, and the rails out the windows were populated by whale watchers in big sunglasses.
If there were three hundred people on board, and each of them had ample money to spare on charity, this wasn't just a boat that could be useful to drug smugglers, these people were prime hostage targets. Because drug smugglers would choose a ship for transport of the drugs, one that was maybe en route to another island, rather than hop a cruise liner that would just circle Oahu for two days at a leisurely pace--
"Makes sense that we should be looking at the staff as well as the passengers?" Danny said, interrupting Steve's thoughts.
"You're right," Steve said. "I hadn't thought of that. All right."
"What's on your mind?"
"I think they're nice," he said. Danny would know that he was talking about Rachel and Stepstan.
"Yep," Danny said.
"You doing all right?"
"Of course," he said, but when he met Steve's concerned look (a slight frown of the eyebrow that probably communicated this), he said, "Man the thing with Rachel doesn't bother me any more, I'm over it. As over it as you can be, after a divorce. You don't stop admiring qualities in a person, just because you've broken up, but I'm fine."
"Of course."
Steve peered around the corner. "Office, looks to be, and no one's home."
They entered. It was your basic crew break room, with coffee, a tv, and a schedule taped to the wall with shifts and names of crew members beside them.
"Steve," Danny tapped the schedule. "If you were a smuggler, wouldn't you hide in plain sight? What do you want to bet our smugglers are on this list?"
Steve pulled out his phone.
"You can't just Bing it," Danny told him, product placing like no other.
"Kono will be able to draw up the crew roster on her end," Steve told him. "If there are smugglers aboard, they probably were added to the list just before setting sail."
Kono picked up on the second ring. "Trouble in paradise, boss?"
"I should be asking you that; you're the one in Hawaii," he said. "But there could be a bit of trouble. We've got a crew roster for you, I want you to run some names for me, see if there are any hits that could be the smugglers, and also give me a list of anyone who signed on to the crew more recently than others."
Steve could hear her speaking to Chin in the background.
"Alright, we can run the names against suspected drug rings and a list of ex-cons who have dealings with them. Maybe we'll find a match. But boss? It's going to take time."
"This is only a suspicion," he said. "I doubt anything will go down. To be honest, I think the Governor sent us on this cruise because she wanted me out of her hair for the weekend. A Senator I know a little too well."
"Oh is that what this is really about?" Danny said. Steve just smiled at him and listened to Kono's response.
"Send me the list, boss, and we'll get back to you tonight at the latest."
"Thanks, Kono."
"Say hello to Danny for me."
"Will do."
Steve clicked out of the call. Danny was giving him an unimpressed look.
"What?"
"I've told you about my brother, I've told you about his failed marriage," he ticked off on his fingers as he strode along with Steve back to their room. "Hell, I've even told you about Niagra Falls, and that is not something I--"
"When? When did you ever tell me about Niagra Falls?"
"And you don't remember what I tell, you, great. So much for communication."
"It was very vague," Steve said. "That's all I'm saying."
"Steve," Danny said, not to be distracted. "Who is this Senator...."
"You're actually jealous."
"I am not." Danny stopped him with a hand to the arm in the middle of a busy hall. "Look at my face. I am not jealous, I am merely intrigued by yet another act of possibly illegal activity that I should know about seeing as I--"
Steve smiled down at him, and let Danny's rant wash over him as they headed to the upper decks.
*
The gala ball that night was just as gorgeous as one would imagine.
Steve had been to a lot of events, but there was something unreserved and luxurious about this group of environmentalists that made him feel comfortable as well, like the ship was a safe haven floating in a quiet ocean. Or maybe it was just that he can see that, for all he tried to hide it under a conversational veneer of sarcasm, Danny was having a great time, seeming more and more at ease around his family.
Currently, he was laughing in the low lighting, looking attractive rather than foolish in his bow tie and sports jacket. Steve had his sleeves rolled up to the elbow and the top button undone; even if this was dressy, it was still Hawaii.
Steve opened his mouth to maybe prod at him a bit, but Danny turned from his conversation with Rachel, as if he could sense it. He raised a staying finger.
"Go get us a second round," he said, then, to Rachel: "He is constantly demanding my attention. He's like a man obsessed, I swear to God. And no, Steve, I will not dance with you. We are not going to do that. I'm going to dance with Grace, and Grace only. You want to dance, don't you sweetheart?"
Grace nodded, and jumped off her chair, her child-sized Beauty & the Beast dress fluffing around her. Danny stood and they moved out onto the partially populated floor from whence the gentle notes of Air Supply were slowly issuing.
Steve flagged down a server to get their wine refilled. Stepstan excused himself and that left Steve and Rachel at the table. He could feel her eyes on him as the wine was slowly poured, but he waited until they were completely alone to acknowledge it, spending that time watching Danny dance around like a robot with Grace standing on both of his feet.
"I like you, Steven," Rachel said. She sipped at her wine. "Have done since you used my bedroom as a base of operations."
"I like you, too, Rachel." He felt a twinge of regret for Danny, but pushed it aside. Excess of emotion wasn't worth it, about a thousand things Steve didn't know had to have happened for Danny to end up divorced and in danger of becoming estranged from his daughter and the woman he had loved.
"And I don't see this as a competition," Rachel told him. "Those days are over, and you're good for him, in different ways than I was. I can see it."
"That means a lot to hear you say that," Steve said. And it did. Because even if she had it wrong, that Steve and Danny weren't romantically involved, Danny was still someone he cared about a great deal, more than anyone else if he were to be honest. He wanted to be the one that Danny called, furious at the world and knowing that Steve was someone who could help fix it. Weekends watching the game at Steve's house, and weeknights with beers on the lanai.
And what was more, Danny had been there time and again to pick up the pieces, and, should Steve ever need him again, would be there those times as well, Steve was sure of it. Some of the most defining moments were memories of driving fast and furious along the edge of the jungle, speeding to save people from the insidious forces that threatened the security of the island, with Danny and his unwavering conviction by his side.
"He's good for me, too," Steve finally told her.
Later, after Danny had taken Grace to the daycare that was open until ten o'clock, he took one look at Steve and Rachel and said, "What'd you do to him, Rachel, he's got a expression like--" Danny waved to Steve's face. Steve raised an eyebrow, an unimpressed look.
"Like what?" Rachel was looking between the two of them.
"He thinks I've suffered some sort of coronary or aneurysm."
"That's not very nice, Daniel," she said. "Steve looks perfectly fine."
"Fine? Perfectly fi--"
"Did you hear that, Daniel? I look fine."
"You see? Now he'll walk around all day like he's some sort of superhero, a cool rage boiling beneath the surface."
"Is that how you see me? Cool rage? There are a lot of things I am enraged about, true. For instance, when I heard that Stepstan wants to take Rachel and my darling daughter to Russia. Grace can't be that close to the top of the Earth."
Rachel laughed right along with Steve, and Danny drank his wine.
"Let's go hit the tables, babe," he said. He looked to Rachel, "You fine here?"
Of course she was fine. Steve suspected that Rachel was one of the most competent women he'd ever met. When they looked up later, Rachel was over at Texas Hold 'Em, and Danny explained that the other players would probably have looked distressed, if not for their poker faces.
Steve's phone rang just as Danny was sweeping a pile of chips towards himself, Steve rolling his eyes at the careful glee.
"Yes?"
"Boss," Kono said. "It looks like there are five men who signed on just before setting sail. And all five men have been suspected of trafficking at one point or another. I'd say we have our smugglers."
"Kono, email me their pictures and we'll keep an eye on them."
"Will do. Everything alright there?"
"Yeah, we're not sure anything's going down, but it's best to be on the lookout."
"How's married life?"
"You know," Steve said, looking over at Danny, who was looking him up and down as the cards were dealt, as if he wasn't even aware he was doing it. "It's not much different."
They caught up to Rachel before heading out for the night, Steve moderately richer.
"Where's Step?"
"He's in one of the poker rooms," Rachel said.
"Oh really, a high roller." Danny looked impressed rather than jealous. "He gamble often?"
"Daniel," Rachel said, tone admonishing. "How do you think we could afford our house? Anyhow, I'm off to cash this in."
"We're turning in," Steve said. "Have a nice night, Rachel."
"You too, Steven, Danny."
*
At eight am the following morning, Steve slid the key card in the door, and pushed the door open when the light blinked neon green.
The room was bright now. Danny was at the sink, shaving, and the sheets of the bed were wadded and torn halfway from the bed, rumpled onto the floor.
"Feels like home," Steve said.
"Up at dawn," Danny grumped, ignoring the jibe at his habit of leaving things all over the floor. "Why? Why are you like this?"
He splashed water on his face, and Steve went to straighten the duvet so he could flop down on it.
"I'm a morning person, nothing crazy about that."
"It's a little crazy, but what did I expect, given-" Danny waved his razor at Steve's outfitted person. "-given Hugo Boss over here."
Steve reclined, hands behind his head on the pillow, watching as Danny monologued.
When Steve had woken that morning, Danny had been stretched out like some sort of modern Tarzan, his normally AquaNetted hair crazy on one of the massive pillows. Steve'd looked blearily at his profile for a moment, still swimming in the vestiges of war dreams and memories, before he'd pushed out from beneath the covers, slipped on his pants, and left.
The deck had been near empty when he'd gotten to it, save the occasional crew member walking along the railings, checking ropes and riggings. They'd nodded to Steve as he'd leaned against the railing, looking into the dark water in the dusty, rose-hued morning. It smelled like the sea and a thousand things Steve had been forced to forget when he'd left Hawaii so many years ago, but now here he was, on the other side of it, building something.
Stepstan was the first person they ran into, over by the buffet. Everyone was dressed in brunch casual, an advertisement for tailored clothing that was comfortable because it had been fitted to fall like a second skin. Other than the sea air, the only tell that they were on the ship was the slow wobbling of the egg yolks in the tin pan that jiggled along with the hum of the motor.
When Danny sat down, after spending a long time by the bacon, he put down an extra plate of blueberry pancakes next to Steve's plate, and one in front of Grace's.
"Ah, you remembered," Steve said. "No napalm?"
"Picky," Danny admonished. "They didn't have that on hand. The waiter I asked got all uppity, even after I tried to explain it wasn't technically against Hawaii code, seeing as we're pushing international waters."
Danny dug into his own breakfast with a weak sort of gusto, with the set shoulders of one who is determined not to be sea sick.
"How are you this morning, Grace?" Steve loved the kid. She was squirting syrup all over her food, indiscriminately.
Grace looked up at him from her chair, and said, eyes huge, "Are you married to Danno?"
Danny laughed uncomfortably; it's not like he could lie to Grace, not off the bat like that, not ever.
"Grace," Stepstan said. "Steve and Danny are partners. They love each other and Steve is like me, another stepdad."
Steve felt a calm sort of urge to go outside for some air, until Grace said, "Okay" and the meal continued.
After they finished, Danny said, "Man, that was good."
"Yeah," Steve agreed. "Better than what I eat for breakfast, that's for sure."
"And I've seen his fridge," Danny told Rachel. "It contains the same thing mine does."
"Beer and meat?" Rachel said.
Danny nodded. "Beer and meat."
Steve stretched a little. "I could go in for a beer."
"You know what?" Danny said. "Grace and I have a prior engagement, don't we, Monkey?"
She nodded. "Can we go swimming?"
"You read my mind."
They left the dining area, moving out onto the heat of the deck. Rachel handed Danny the key card to their rooms so he could go get Grace's bathing suit. Danny pointed at Steve before he left, saying, "I'm watching you."
"What?" Steve spread his hands, and called after Danny, "What'd I do? And you're obviously not watching me; you're leaving!"
Danny made a dismissive gesture over a shoulder. Steve, Rachel and Step headed over to the bar.
When things got hairy an hour later, Stepstan was in the middle of recounting his trip to visit Rachel's family in England, and how Danny had, apparently, threatened to tell Steve to tell the Governor to contact the President to contact England and tell her to reinstate imprisonment at the Tower of London should anything happen to Grace off of American soil.
"First thing Rachel told me about Danny," Stepstan said, more talkative now that Danny was out of sight. "'Don't listen if my ex-husband threatens you. He is very protective of things he loves.'"
"I like to think of it as poetry," Steve said. "Harmless, but kind of frightening."
"I'll try to keep that in mind--" Stepstan was saying, when Steve caught sight of several crew members rushing in one direction, along the dining floor. He interrupted.
"Rachel, Stepstan," Steve said, and Step looked resigned, as if being interrupted was something he would become resigned to with Danny and his partner. "I don't want to frighten you, nothing's going to happen, but I need you to get back to your rooms immediately and lock yourselves inside."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"Danny and I were asked to oversee this cruise," he said. "There's little likelihood that anything will occur when you and your daughter are on board, everything is going to be alright, but to be sure of that, I'll need you to do exactly as I say."
"Don't condescend to me," Rachel said. "Let's find Danny and Grace."
Danny's voice mail picked up, and Steve briefly considered going it alone. He quickly ditched the thought, though; as they were on a ship, the suspects had nowhere to go, and it was better with two of them on this anyway.
Steve stalked the length of the floor inconspicuously, Rachel and Stepstan behind him. They slipped out onto the deck. There, they continued to stride until they reached the stairs, which he took in threes until they were up the two floors that took them to the outside pool area.
It was searing hot in the sun. Steve's eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, to begin the impossible task of finding two bathing suited people in a sea of swimmers. The sound of laughter and shouting comingled with the slap of pool water, and the crowds were huge. He couldn't see Danny or Grace anywhere.
In situations like this, he knew he should make himself visible.
He strode to the edge of the large pool, full of children and adults. He stood near the edge and turned in a slow circle, looking for two people who were a little paler than most. There were a lot of blonds at the pool.
"Aren't you a bit overdressed?"
He looked down to see Danny smiling up at him, hair slicked back like an otter's and forearms resting at the pool's edge. He frowned, though, when he caught sight of Rachel.
"Danny," Steve said. "They're on the move."
Danny was out in seconds. "Grace. Out of the pool, Monkey."
He hoisted her out, and they went to where they'd put their clothing. Steve handed Danny a towel, and explained the situation as Danny toweled dry and pulled on his khaki shorts and white polo.
"Three of the five that Kono identified were walking quickly towards the server's entrance," Steve said. "If we just go in through the office and take the back passageway that they've sealed off--"
"The emergency exit?" Danny scrubbed the towel over his head and finger-combed his hair straight backwards into place.
"Yeah, that's the one, we should be able to head them off. I think I know where they're going." Steve smiled briefly at Rachel and Step in what he thought was a comforting manner.
"You can't go through there," Rachel said. "That's a staff entrance."
Danny threw up his hands, and said, "Rachel--" as if they'd had many fights about legality in their time.
"Yes we can," Steve told her. "Stay calm, just go back to the room."
"No," she said. "I realize you think you're above the law, but in reality, you are not. I won't have you getting arrested, or killed."
Steve gave her a strong look. "Believe me when I tell you that the governor gave us authority."
"The Governor--"
"Look, Rachel," Danny said. "I know you care, but right now what's most important for this to go smoothly is that I know that my family is safe. Please, believe me when I say we'll handle this."
"Alright," she said. "But Daniel, don't do anything reckless. Steven, please take care of him."
"Oh you think I'm reckless?" Danny said.
"Yes, Daniel, in all of our time together I would say that I have noticed a reckless streak."
"This guy," Danny pointed at Steve with two fingers, like it was the gun he couldn't pull out, but would have if he could, so help him. "This guy is a madman--no, don't smile like that, it's not a compliment."
Steve smirked a bit, despite their situation, and said, "Rachel, we are going to get you, your husband, and your daughter safely off this ship."
"Good luck," Stepstan told them, and they were off.
They made it to the office in five minutes, and after briefly considering the array of navigational equipment, Steve called Kono.
"Kono here."
"We've got movement," he said. "The suspects are highly suspicious, and if I remember my navigation correctly, looking out the window here--" he peered out the port hole again. "--it appears we're out of sight of land. I want you to run these coordinates for me."
"I'm on it." There was a pause, and Steve turned to find Danny giving him a sweeping glance.
Kono was back in seconds. "Boss, sorry to say, but you're way off course. It looks like you're nearer to the next island, probably Kauai. Smells like foul play to me."
"Call it in, Kono. Get the coast guard out here, fast as possible. I'll contact the Governor."
"The smuggling," Danny was pacing the room. "Taking drugs to the next island. But isn't it obvious if they're commandeering a ship and taking it off course?"
"Not if the navigation officers are in on it," Steve thought aloud. "And the passengers won't give a shit if they can't see land, especially at night. We must have dropped the drug load to another vessel in the night, near Kauai--"
"And now we're making our way back to Oahu by this afternoon," Danny agreed. "In the mind of the passengers and the rest of the crew, everything is normal." He put a hand briefly over his face. "I'm rethinking what I said about that ass kicking."
"Yeah?"
"On the ground!"
"Might have to put that on hold," Steve muttered as he and Danny sunk to their knees, hands held out in front of them.
The three men Steve had seen entered the room. One man patted Steve down as the other two trained guns on them. He pulled three guns and a pen.
"You," he barked when he began to pat down Danny. "Why are you all wet?"
Danny looked at him, and Steve saw it coming right before it happened. "I was at the pool, you dickwa-- ow, ok, I deserved that," Danny tentatively touched a finger to where the man had punched him in the face.
"Hey!" There came a shout from down the hall. The two gunman jerked in that direction.
The man patting Danny down flicked his gaze to Danny and then to Steve. There was a moment that was tense like the stretch of a rubber band, and if he grabbed Danny, Steve would pull out his hidden dagger and throw it at his face, right here. Then the tension snapped. Danny flipped him with a leg to the ankle, grabbed one of the gun's he'd taken and pointed it at the man's head.
Steve saw it just as it was about to happen and yelled "Danny!" as one of the gunmen raised their gun and shot. Thanks to Steve's warning, Danny flung himself out of the way. The two gunmen were off, speeding out of sight.
Danny, who'd rolled out of the way, cursed, and spent a moment backing his target up against the door frame where he'd tried to escape.
"I got this one!" he yelled, and Steve shot off after the other two, knocking back a few chairs as he crossed into the dining room and then flinging himself out into the sunlight of the deck, where the two men were racing down the port side.
He was hot on their heels.
Steve shot one man in the leg, and allowed the other to jump off the ship into the waves below, where Steve knew he wouldn't give them any trouble for the time being. People were screaming and running, creating general chaos as Steve advanced on the man lying there with a bleeding leg.
"Ma'am, find me a crew member," he said to a nearby woman. She nodded, and rushed off.
Moments later, once a sizable crowd had drawn, and Steve was holding the man at gunpoint, three crew members ran onto the scene.
"Hawaii PD," he yelled. "I need you to detain this man, while I find my partner."
He rushed off, to find Danny.
When he made it down to the office once more, Danny had secured two men to a pipe, unconscious, and had the third on the ground. The man was struggling feebly, but Danny had him firmly on his front, and was twisting his arm in sharp jerks behind his back, with a knee between the shoulder blades.
"Looks like you got this about covered," Steve said. Danny looked up at him, and smiled that ruthless, exhilarated look he always had on his face after they'd brought the world to justice.
The look was longer than it should have been. Steve experienced that strange and uncomplicated emotion he always did around Danny, something nameless and heartening.
Danny gave a sudden yell, and the man beneath him, using the moment of distraction to his advantage, flung them both over and ended with his gun to Danny's neck.
"Drop it!" Steve yelled, but the man pushed the gun more firmly into Danny's neck.
"You drop it or I swear to god I will blow him apart." The man smiled smugly up at him. "What's it gonna be? I'll do it, I'm not even joking."
Steve dropped his gun.
"Take me," Steve said, putting his hands up.
The other man squinted at him.
"Take me, let him go, I'll come quietly," Steve said. "I don't even care what you do--"
"Steve," Danny bit out.
"Shut up," the man said, pushing Danny more firmly into the gaudy carpeting and watching Steve. "There's nothing in it for me, but nice try."
"Please." Steve said. "I'm a better hostage, I know higher ups. This guy's just some schmuck from New Jersey."
All he knew was that Kono and Chin would be so sad if anything happened to Danny, Danny had Grace depending on him, and Rachel and Stan, and a hundred other people Danny knew back home. Danny had come to Steve's home and Steve couldn't let anything happen to him, he'd never be able to live with himself if he did.
"Please," Steve said. He couldn't even recognize his own voice in his ears. "Please, I, I love him. He's my partner, just--"
The man gave him a look like he was insane, and Steve himself couldn't tell if he was acting or if he was speaking from somewhere in the chest region, but the guy was also a kid, somewhere in his mid-twenties, caught up in a drug smuggling ring. In short, he was scared and he was stupid, and knew that a better hostage could mean more leverage.
"Alright," he said. "Get over here."
Danny squirmed beneath him, and Steve felt relief unhinge the tightness in his throat.
He got slowly to his knees, avoiding Danny's eye, and put his hands together behind his back. The man watched him, took the twine that Danny had used the two unconscious men tied to the pole, and wound Steve's wrists, one-handed, keeping the gun trained on Danny.
It was a feat, but there was effectively no way either of them could move without getting shot, or at least not until the man went to tie Steve's ankles, and Danny kicked up at the man's wrist. The gun went off into the wall, and Danny rolled to grab at Steve's ankle.
He yanked out the hidden dagger, and stabbed the smuggler in the neck.
Steve rolled out of the way quickly, belatedly, and lay there for a moment while Danny stood over the body, breathing heavily.
*
Ordering Danny to snap the cuffs on the bad guys wasn't nearly so satisfying when he knew Danny was legitimately pissed at him.
"Because you conveniently decided to forget about the law for a second!" Danny was shouting, as the ship pulled to a halt near the shore.
"You know what?" Steve yelled back. "In case you'd forgotten, this whole thing is a little above the law. Because the Governor freaking told us to do it."
"This? This?" Danny waved the gun between the two of them. "This is undercover. This is..this is something that's gone a little too far in one direction-" here he put out two hands like pie slicers. "-and needs to go a little bit more, in another. Just because you have immunity, doesn't mean you can go throwing people into the ocean and trying to get yourself killed. You are an officer of the law."
There was a lengthy process of ushering passengers onto life boats and dinghies to take them to shore; legality said that once the cruise liner had dropped anchor, it had to be swept for drugs before reaching port. Once off the dinghies, they had to wade to shore, which seemed to piss Danny off even more. It would ruin their suits, but money they'd made gambling would probably cover that, Steve figured, and he never minded a swim.
Kono and Chin met them at the shore and helped apprehend the smugglers.
"All in a days work," Chin said. "You're looking a little damp, Danny."
"You know what Chin? That's because this guy--"
"Danny," Steve said. Danny rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Now that we've got all this figured out, squared away, I guess I can go now."
"Danny-"
"It's Saturday, Steve," he said. "We're no longer on the cruise, which makes it my day off. I'd appreciate it if you would listen to what I'm telling you, I'm going now."
Steve watched him stalk off across the wide parking lot, which was full of people hurrying to their cars and pulling out, escaping the climactic ending to their charity cruise. There would be tons of paperwork, Steve knew, but as they were above the law in many aspects, someone else would be responsible for doing it. Danny searched for his car for over two minutes in the sea of silver and white. Steve was still watching when Danny drove off.
"You going to just let him go?" Chin asked. Kono didn't say anything, but was looking at him, too. It was his call.
Steve thought about what he really wanted, how Steve felt it in his gut that he wanted to make Danny rant and wanted to make him happy. So many things were out of Steve's control, but this was actually something he could do, it was within his grasp.
And Danny had agreed with him without even having to say it, and said yours, too like he already saw how he fitted into Steve's life like a linchpin. Danny'd figured out and put words to something Steve had only just even thought to wonder at.
"No." Steve said, shaken to his senses. "No, of course not. I'm going to follow him."
He felt his pocket -- to where Danny had taken the keys and the car along with them. He jogged over to Rachel, who was seated with Grace, waiting while Stepstan spoke with authorities.
"I need your car," he told her.
"Of course you do," she said. Steve frowned, but Rachel just shook her head, sighing. "You're good for him, I told you."
Stepstan handed over the keys, and said, "We'll call the chauffeur. Make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous, Steven."
"Good man," Steve said, and he was off, pulling out his phone, which had reception everywhere, thank god for satellites. He called the woman who had access to all the satellite networks on the Earth and atmosphere.
"Let me get this straight," Catherine said when he was peeling out of the parking lot. "You're asking me to get you coordinates of your car off an icon reconnaissance satellite? You know I'd be severely reprimanded if I were to raise any more red flags?"
"Look," Steve said, the trees and buildings rushing past in a tropical blur. "I've got no excuses this time. And, also, it's not my car, it's my partner's."
"Woah woah woah. You met someone and you're actually allowing them to drive?"
She was laughing.
"Hey, let's not get too hasty. I'm the one who drives. Now can you do this for me? I could really use your help, Catherine. Next shore leave, beers are on me. Hell, I'll take you to dinner, the works."
"Oh I doubt you'll be allowed on a date any time soon," she said. "I'll text you the coordinates. I'm expecting first choice at the groomsmen."
"Scouts honor," he promised.
"You were boyscout and a navy seal? Good grief."
Steve followed Catherine's directions, speeding in the Mercedes along the edge of a cliff, the drop so immediate and sheer that it was like the world ended right there and infinity began. He would find Danny, he thought, no doubt in his mind.
"You're there," Catherine told him. "The car's stopped about a mile up, you should see it."
"Thanks Catherine," he said. He hung up, and sped the final minute and screeched to a stop in an impressive burning of rubber, the tread marks of his determination would be evident for years to come.
Danny was seated on the hood of the car, staring out into the distance, the view of the water and line of buildings far below. He turned when he heard the car, and was shouting unintelligibly before Steve even opened the door, so that all he caught when he got out was, "--almost flew off the cliff, you madman, learn how to drive, act like a normal human being for once, rather than--"
"You have a postcard of New Jersey in your sun visor," Steve said. This drew Danny up short.
"What?" Danny looked at him like he was insane, and for once Steve knew that it wasn't for show. Elucidating this thing was the most important thing in Steve's entire life, he saw it now.
"You love New Jersey," he said, spelling it out for the both of them in a cogent argument. "It's who you are. You have a picture of it in the sun visor so you can look at it from time to time, remember the thing you love."
"Yes," Danny said. Steve came closer, like Danny was an angry sand crab or a great white shark he had to approach with extreme caution.
"And you have a picture of Grace in your wallet," he said.
"Also true," Danny said, crossing his arms across his chest, looking windswept.
"You have a picture of Grace in your wallet, and Danny--" Steve said. He looked out at the water and then back. "Danny you have a picture of us in there, too. You look at it from time to time--"
"Not that often," Danny said. "I don't know what you're--"
"Each of the corners are bent," Steve told him. "The paper is clearly discolored on the back and all around the edges, like you take it out and put it back in a different position. I asked Kono, and she said she gave it to you months ago, it's not just for the job. You carry it with you everywhere."
Danny clenched his jaw, not denying it.
"So what? Is this like, some partner bonding thing. You said you loved me and then tried to hand yourself over to be killed, Steve, and you're making a big deal over a picture? If the next thing out of your mouth is a joke--"
Steve stepped in too close for it to be misconstrued. "The only reason I don't have one myself," he told Danny, filling the air between them with something that could break them, could change his entire life. "The only reason I don't keep pictures of us everywhere is that I have a photographic memory. And seeing you at work every day is better than any picture I could ever hold on to."
"Photographic-- great, what a creep, you--"
Steve kissed Danny's argument right off of his mouth.
*
When Steve gets to the office at 6am the next morning, he'll find the following news clippings sent direct from the office of the Governor of Hawaii.
And a bonus for reading:
pairing: Steve/Danny
words: 8k
rating: pg-13
summary: Steve and Danny must go undercover on a charity couples cruise. Pretend-to-be-together fic, on a ship! This is one of those McDanno things.
a/n: This fic was written for crazykookie and shifty-gardener. beta'd by longswordho. Accidental use of "Sky Line," which was that mountain in X-Files. Whoops, it's all there, in mah brain.
"I want you and Detective Williams to attend the annual Charity Couples Cruise this weekend." The Governor rarely minced words over the phone, and this time was no different.
"Let me guess, Governor," Steve said. "An undercover mission, whole black tie affair."
"Something like that," she said. "We have reason to believe that drug smugglers may be aboard, although it's just a suspicion, and they can't cancel the cruise on such short notice, both because it's for high paying charity members and also because a lot of Hawaii's tourist industry is based around the legitimacy of cruise liners. We'd like you to keep an eye on things."
"I understand," Steve said. "No offense meant, of course, but does this have anything to do with the fact that Senator Wilson is on the island?"
"Nothing gets past you."
"I apologize again for tackling his body guard last time they were here."
"Lucky for you that he turned out to be after all," she said. "But really, this job is not just an excuse to keep you off the island. I'd rather have my best men keeping an eye on what does not seem like a threat yet, but which could grow into one. You'll need to appear as inconspicuous as possible, so I've registered you and Detective Williams together. The tickets will be delivered to you today."
"I have your best interests in mind, Governor. I won't let you down."
"Oh and Steven?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Tell your partner not to mess this one up."
*
"I think you know the answer to this one already." Danny's voice sounded stern over the phone, unmovable, but in Steve's experience, he gave in at the first good argument.
Steve remained silent.
"It's not that it will be hard," Danny continued, probably making a chopping motion with his hand. "It's that it will be on a boat. For two days." Another swing of his arm. "In the water, no land in sight."
"We'll be within sight of land," Steve said. "It'll be a luxurious weekend circling the island, not an expedition to find mainland America. And you wanna argue with the governor on this one?"
"You know, sometimes I really hate you."
"Yeah, yeah."
Before Steve hung up, Danny said, "What cruise company did you say it was?"
"Sky Line," Steve said, pausing at the tone. "Why?"
"Shit," Danny said. "Shit, shit. Rachel and Stepstan are taking Grace on a charity cruise this weekend, one specifically for couples."
That would make sense. "It's got to be the same one. That's why the Governor was so sure you'd agree--"
"I've gotta keep that ship safe for Grace," Danny said. "Steve. I'm in. We are-- We are going to waste these guys. They will never look at a cruise the same way again, won't look at anything other than the inside of a cell--"
"Ok, I got ya Danny, just, chill." He could hear Danny fuming over the phone, probably pacing the clothing-strewn carpet of his five-by-ten. "We do our jobs, and these guys won't get anywhere near your daughter. And congratulations."
"For what?"
"Your second marriage. You and me, baby, registered."
Danny laughed, sounding less worked up, if only a bit. "So, what, not even gonna ask me out? And tell me again why I'm not pretend-civil-unioned to Chin?"
"I'm going to be honest here," Steve said. "I'm going to say what we both know to be true: Kono is the only one of us who is suave enough to land a guy like Chin. And besides, they're staying shoreside, full access to the console, how they work best. Although Kono could be useful when something goes down--"
"You mean ass kicking? Don't you?" Danny said. "And why do you say when, like there's no other option. We could, if it doesn't interfere with this whole James Bond image you have of yourself, just quietly arrest them."
Steve brushed this off as the ridiculous statement that it was. He chose to take much of what Danny said as rhetorical, he'd seen that pleased expression countless times after they'd had a good fist fight with a gang of bad guys. He didn't say any of this aloud, instead saying: "Pick you up at 7?"
Danny sighed into the phone. "If only you meant evening."
Steve threw another gun into his small duffle. "Look just pack your bags, sweetheart. It's only for two days, I'm sure you can hold out for that long."
*
The cruise liner was your typical 400 foot, with hydraulic motors and a caterpillar drive.
"Yeah, I don't know what that means," Danny said, and then crouched next to Grace. "That's a fancy cruise liner full of well-dressed, stuffy people. You 'n me are going to go undercover."
"Ok, Danno."
"You excited for the waterslide?"
"Yes!" she yelled.
"It's for children," Steve reminded him.
"I know that."
"I know you know it," Steve said. "But I see you eying it."
"It would be unsafe for Grace to go down it alone."
"Right."
"Don't give me parenting advice." Danny stood. Steve smiled serenely down at him. "Are you giving me parenting advice?"
"Danny?"
"What."
"Put on your lei."
Danny turned to see the two crew members who were advancing on them, laughing, saying, "Welcome! Aloha!"
"My--" Danny said, pushing Grace behind him on reflex. "Oh no, I am not putting on another--"
"You like leis, don't you Grace?" Steve asked. She nodded, and then moved forward for a woman to put a flower in her pig tails.
Despite his muttering about indignities and floral allergies, Danny accepted two leis himself with some modicum of dignity, although they barely fit around his giant neck. Steve would have to check into his claim; first the knee, now the sinuses. At least Danny was off the cane.
He ducked his head and was loaded down with three leis himself, brightly colored and smelling of sunshine.
"Mahalo," he said. The day was warm, and the smell of salt reminded him of the more happy times in the Navy, before his father had died and his life had changed forever.
He followed Danny and Grace up the ramp and onto the ship, reflecting how recent months had marked a sort of new start. He smiled to himself, until Danny shouted back for him to hurry up, he wasn't leaving him alone on this godforsaken boat.
Steve loved cruises.
*
They met Rachel on deck with her amber husband. Danny stopped when they caught sight of them down the walk, and Steve followed his gaze, noticing that Rachel did look objectively beautiful, her modest, blue sundress moving prettily in the slight breeze as she came towards them. Behind her was Stepstan.
Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder when he reached past to shake the man's hand. It wasn't his fault, any of it. He seemed like a nice enough guy, he was just suspicious in the context of Danny's life and his relation to Grace, the thing that mattered to Danny most. So, although Steve didn't have the time nor the emotion to dislike the man, he also couldn't like him either.
"Shall we?" Rachel asked. She swept past the three of them, holding Grace's hand, and pink backpack which doubtlessly contained the bejeweled Hello Kitty laptop.
The three men looked at one another. Or, really, Steve looked around at the scenery, the ocean they'd soon be sailing into and the impending sunset, while Danny let out a few choice grunts which sounded more like warnings.
Rich philanthropists were boarding around them, dressed in khakis and careful floral prints, large brimmed sun hats, at least a third of which would be blown into the sea. Expensive laughter. Coral-colored lipsticks and Rolexes.
Danny squinted at Stepstan, who had the face like a modern-day Lincoln: coppery, noble. After a moment, the man muttered, "right," under his breath, and then strode off after Rachel.
Steve stared at Danny.
"What?" Danny said. "What?"
"Be nice." Steve patted him on the shoulder again and then said, "Let's go find our room."
"Then drinks?"
"Of course; we're on a cruise."
"You love this!" Danny accused, striding along at his elbow. They wove their way through the slow-moving couples. "You like cruises."
"Of course I do," Steve said. "But I'm assuming you don't, given your relationship with anything that's not asphalt."
"I like both feet on the ground, thank you."
Their rooms were on the third floor, two floors above the casino and one above the dining area. Danny ranted a bit about how expensive this could be, about rich people in general, and Stepstan, until Steve mentioned that the governor had given them each a $500 allowance, just so they looked like they fit in. It wouldn't do to draw attention to themselves by not taking part in the festivities. Danny seemed appeased, if still grumpy.
Their bags had already been delivered, and there was only one bed, but that was to be expected. It was large, with a wonderful white duvet and six pillows. Steve had slept on all manner of surfaces - beds and rocks at sea alike - anything was better than hard ground in the forest, really.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" Steve said as they unpacked a few things.
"It's not completely horrible."
Steve could hear the concession in Danny's voice. He felt like he knew Danny well by this point, and there seemed to be two things he loved most in the world, and they were here, on this ship.
"I know you're excited to spend two days eating and spending time with your daughter. This is your idea of a perfect weekend, admit it."
Danny didn't even skip a beat when he said, "Yours, too."
*
At lunch, during which time Steve ordered three plates of Turf, Rachel asked the five million dollar question:
"Tell me again why you've suddenly arrived at a charity event specifically for couples who have donated to the environmental campaign?"
Steve slid in before Danny could respond emotionally.
"Rachel." She took a moment to look over to him, which Steve could understand; Danny's facial expression of choice was always riveting, regardless what emotion he was conveying. "Danny and I are here on the charity cruise because a large sum of money was donated on our behalf. More importantly, though, Danny here doesn't remember how to have fun, and I myself would like to do some gambling. Stan, you a gambling man?"
"Well, I--" Stan began, but Danny cut him off.
"Steve, although your response is, as always, clear, it also, characteristically, naively, missed the biting undertone, namely that my lovely ex-wife is wondering why you and I are --" he made an ambiguous gesture between them.
Steve mimed what Danny had done so he'd experience the ridiculous gesture himself.
"What is this? What is this hand motion?"
"I'm making a gesture that would be clear, at this juncture of the sentence, to ordinary people."
"So I'm not ordinary?"
"No, dear," Danny said. "You're quite abnormal."
"I didn't understand your hand gestures either," Stan jumped in.
Danny turned in his chair. "All due respect, Step, I'm having a conversation with my partner." He turned back to Steve. "It was a gesture to leave unsaid something that should have been implied, so as not to speak it aloud, i.e. the big gay elephant in the room. Rachel would like to know why we, as an item are aboard this ship."
"Oh," Steve said.
"And the answer is...." Rachel prompted.
"True love," Danny said, throwing a casual arm over the back of Steve's chair. "You know how it is."
"Really." She looked at Steve appraisingly, before returning to her salad. "Not bad."
"That's it?" Danny said.
"Well, I admit I'm a bit shocked that it's so soon," she said. "And miffed that we weren't invited, or made aware, but the attraction is clear."
"Been together since we met," Steve told her. He smiled indulgently at Danny, who dug into his meal, shaking his head, like Steve was on his own with this one. Steve had faced down twenty men with just a jump rope in his hands, and had lived to tell the tale; he could handle, and even win over, his partner's ex-wife, someone he actually found himself admiring a great deal.
"We signed the papers once Hawaii legislation passed," he explained. "Which allowed civil unions as of the 1st of the year. It's true that our relationship has been short, but what can you do? If you know, you know, and besides, you never know when they're gonna take it away. In any case, it was a kind of whirlwind thing. I don't care much for big flowery affairs, so Danny had to compromise."
"Oh did I?" Danny said.
"Yeah, sorry about that. No roses strewn across every surface," Steve said. "You have allergies, anyway. I've heard how you complain."
"He does tend to go overboard," Rachel agreed.
"His mom and I get along great," Steve confided.
"Oh, how is Meredith?"
"Wonderful," Danny said to himself. The server arrived with a tray weighed heavy with frosty, bell glasses, and Danny anchored a few.
"Here ya go, Step." He placed a 24oz crushed-ice cocktail on the table in front of the man, and then one in front of Rachel.
"Don't call him that," Rachel said.
"It's fine, darling," Stepstan pulled the drink to him. The man was obviously still wary of Danny after the display of Alpha Father behavior in the Camaro a few months before.
Danny handed Steve his with a warning smile, and Steve clinked their glasses together. They were going to have blue tongues for the rest of the cruise.
Danny toasted to the the others.
"I'll get the next ones," Step told him.
After paying, Danny went to put his wallet back in his pocket, but Steve stopped him with a hand at the wrist. Danny resisted momentarily, but they were in public, and weren't going to engage in tug-of-war games suitable for five-year-olds, and Steve knew that it was only a matter of time before Danny gave in, he always did.
Danny released the wallet. Steve flipped it open, and tugged at a corner of something wedged in a pocket.
"What have we here?"
Rachel and Stepstan looked around as well, sipping at their neon-colored straws.
"Oh, that's just, uh," Danny said. Steve held the wallet out of his reach, and pulled out a photo.
"Oh," he said. "It's you and me at the shaved ice stand, right around the time we started working together. How long have you had this in here?"
"None of your business."
"Everything's my business, sweetheart." Chin had probably given it to Danny to make their story more believable, and even had made sure to wear it out around the edges so it looked like Danny had had it for longer. Steve felt a rush of pride; his team was so thorough, he'd have to remember to thank Chin later.
"Just-- you're making me feel like a sap," Danny grumbled. He grabbed the picture back, replaced it gently in the wallet, and put his wallet in his shorts.
"It's cute," Steve said. He sipped at his drink as Danny gave him a withering look.
"That's it?" Danny said. "It's cute? Oh stop, please, you slay me, no more."
When Steve looked up, Rachel and Stepstan were giving one another a secret smile. Steve smiled himself.
Embarrassing Danny was one of his favorite past times, he found a way to incorporate it into nearly everything they did. It went hand-in-hand with impressing Danny, and with learning more about Danny's former life. Danny gave out stories like they were nothing, but Steve picked them apart for deeper meanings, parsing in-story expletives like they were the mile markers that had led Danny to Oahu.
The governor had told them to keep an eye out, not to necessarily take the wheel, so they took an afternoon stroll around the massive ship. Steve was of the philosophy that you took down the enemy before they even began to plan, and Danny wanted distraction after the long lunch with Rachel and Step, that much was clear, so he went along a little easier, even after Steve explained that this wasn't there mission, per se, and that the governor had only told them to do some investigating if they saw anything suspicious.
"Alright, alright, you think I don't know how you work," Danny said. "If something suspicious doesn't find you, you find it, I get it."
They walked the decks slowly, talking a bit, really keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Been on the job long enough, and it was something you learned to spot.
People were all over the food deck partaking in meals for sixty dollars and drinks for not much less, and the rails out the windows were populated by whale watchers in big sunglasses.
If there were three hundred people on board, and each of them had ample money to spare on charity, this wasn't just a boat that could be useful to drug smugglers, these people were prime hostage targets. Because drug smugglers would choose a ship for transport of the drugs, one that was maybe en route to another island, rather than hop a cruise liner that would just circle Oahu for two days at a leisurely pace--
"Makes sense that we should be looking at the staff as well as the passengers?" Danny said, interrupting Steve's thoughts.
"You're right," Steve said. "I hadn't thought of that. All right."
"What's on your mind?"
"I think they're nice," he said. Danny would know that he was talking about Rachel and Stepstan.
"Yep," Danny said.
"You doing all right?"
"Of course," he said, but when he met Steve's concerned look (a slight frown of the eyebrow that probably communicated this), he said, "Man the thing with Rachel doesn't bother me any more, I'm over it. As over it as you can be, after a divorce. You don't stop admiring qualities in a person, just because you've broken up, but I'm fine."
"Of course."
Steve peered around the corner. "Office, looks to be, and no one's home."
They entered. It was your basic crew break room, with coffee, a tv, and a schedule taped to the wall with shifts and names of crew members beside them.
"Steve," Danny tapped the schedule. "If you were a smuggler, wouldn't you hide in plain sight? What do you want to bet our smugglers are on this list?"
Steve pulled out his phone.
"You can't just Bing it," Danny told him, product placing like no other.
"Kono will be able to draw up the crew roster on her end," Steve told him. "If there are smugglers aboard, they probably were added to the list just before setting sail."
Kono picked up on the second ring. "Trouble in paradise, boss?"
"I should be asking you that; you're the one in Hawaii," he said. "But there could be a bit of trouble. We've got a crew roster for you, I want you to run some names for me, see if there are any hits that could be the smugglers, and also give me a list of anyone who signed on to the crew more recently than others."
Steve could hear her speaking to Chin in the background.
"Alright, we can run the names against suspected drug rings and a list of ex-cons who have dealings with them. Maybe we'll find a match. But boss? It's going to take time."
"This is only a suspicion," he said. "I doubt anything will go down. To be honest, I think the Governor sent us on this cruise because she wanted me out of her hair for the weekend. A Senator I know a little too well."
"Oh is that what this is really about?" Danny said. Steve just smiled at him and listened to Kono's response.
"Send me the list, boss, and we'll get back to you tonight at the latest."
"Thanks, Kono."
"Say hello to Danny for me."
"Will do."
Steve clicked out of the call. Danny was giving him an unimpressed look.
"What?"
"I've told you about my brother, I've told you about his failed marriage," he ticked off on his fingers as he strode along with Steve back to their room. "Hell, I've even told you about Niagra Falls, and that is not something I--"
"When? When did you ever tell me about Niagra Falls?"
"And you don't remember what I tell, you, great. So much for communication."
"It was very vague," Steve said. "That's all I'm saying."
"Steve," Danny said, not to be distracted. "Who is this Senator...."
"You're actually jealous."
"I am not." Danny stopped him with a hand to the arm in the middle of a busy hall. "Look at my face. I am not jealous, I am merely intrigued by yet another act of possibly illegal activity that I should know about seeing as I--"
Steve smiled down at him, and let Danny's rant wash over him as they headed to the upper decks.
*
The gala ball that night was just as gorgeous as one would imagine.
Steve had been to a lot of events, but there was something unreserved and luxurious about this group of environmentalists that made him feel comfortable as well, like the ship was a safe haven floating in a quiet ocean. Or maybe it was just that he can see that, for all he tried to hide it under a conversational veneer of sarcasm, Danny was having a great time, seeming more and more at ease around his family.
Currently, he was laughing in the low lighting, looking attractive rather than foolish in his bow tie and sports jacket. Steve had his sleeves rolled up to the elbow and the top button undone; even if this was dressy, it was still Hawaii.
Steve opened his mouth to maybe prod at him a bit, but Danny turned from his conversation with Rachel, as if he could sense it. He raised a staying finger.
"Go get us a second round," he said, then, to Rachel: "He is constantly demanding my attention. He's like a man obsessed, I swear to God. And no, Steve, I will not dance with you. We are not going to do that. I'm going to dance with Grace, and Grace only. You want to dance, don't you sweetheart?"
Grace nodded, and jumped off her chair, her child-sized Beauty & the Beast dress fluffing around her. Danny stood and they moved out onto the partially populated floor from whence the gentle notes of Air Supply were slowly issuing.
Steve flagged down a server to get their wine refilled. Stepstan excused himself and that left Steve and Rachel at the table. He could feel her eyes on him as the wine was slowly poured, but he waited until they were completely alone to acknowledge it, spending that time watching Danny dance around like a robot with Grace standing on both of his feet.
"I like you, Steven," Rachel said. She sipped at her wine. "Have done since you used my bedroom as a base of operations."
"I like you, too, Rachel." He felt a twinge of regret for Danny, but pushed it aside. Excess of emotion wasn't worth it, about a thousand things Steve didn't know had to have happened for Danny to end up divorced and in danger of becoming estranged from his daughter and the woman he had loved.
"And I don't see this as a competition," Rachel told him. "Those days are over, and you're good for him, in different ways than I was. I can see it."
"That means a lot to hear you say that," Steve said. And it did. Because even if she had it wrong, that Steve and Danny weren't romantically involved, Danny was still someone he cared about a great deal, more than anyone else if he were to be honest. He wanted to be the one that Danny called, furious at the world and knowing that Steve was someone who could help fix it. Weekends watching the game at Steve's house, and weeknights with beers on the lanai.
And what was more, Danny had been there time and again to pick up the pieces, and, should Steve ever need him again, would be there those times as well, Steve was sure of it. Some of the most defining moments were memories of driving fast and furious along the edge of the jungle, speeding to save people from the insidious forces that threatened the security of the island, with Danny and his unwavering conviction by his side.
"He's good for me, too," Steve finally told her.
Later, after Danny had taken Grace to the daycare that was open until ten o'clock, he took one look at Steve and Rachel and said, "What'd you do to him, Rachel, he's got a expression like--" Danny waved to Steve's face. Steve raised an eyebrow, an unimpressed look.
"Like what?" Rachel was looking between the two of them.
"He thinks I've suffered some sort of coronary or aneurysm."
"That's not very nice, Daniel," she said. "Steve looks perfectly fine."
"Fine? Perfectly fi--"
"Did you hear that, Daniel? I look fine."
"You see? Now he'll walk around all day like he's some sort of superhero, a cool rage boiling beneath the surface."
"Is that how you see me? Cool rage? There are a lot of things I am enraged about, true. For instance, when I heard that Stepstan wants to take Rachel and my darling daughter to Russia. Grace can't be that close to the top of the Earth."
Rachel laughed right along with Steve, and Danny drank his wine.
"Let's go hit the tables, babe," he said. He looked to Rachel, "You fine here?"
Of course she was fine. Steve suspected that Rachel was one of the most competent women he'd ever met. When they looked up later, Rachel was over at Texas Hold 'Em, and Danny explained that the other players would probably have looked distressed, if not for their poker faces.
Steve's phone rang just as Danny was sweeping a pile of chips towards himself, Steve rolling his eyes at the careful glee.
"Yes?"
"Boss," Kono said. "It looks like there are five men who signed on just before setting sail. And all five men have been suspected of trafficking at one point or another. I'd say we have our smugglers."
"Kono, email me their pictures and we'll keep an eye on them."
"Will do. Everything alright there?"
"Yeah, we're not sure anything's going down, but it's best to be on the lookout."
"How's married life?"
"You know," Steve said, looking over at Danny, who was looking him up and down as the cards were dealt, as if he wasn't even aware he was doing it. "It's not much different."
They caught up to Rachel before heading out for the night, Steve moderately richer.
"Where's Step?"
"He's in one of the poker rooms," Rachel said.
"Oh really, a high roller." Danny looked impressed rather than jealous. "He gamble often?"
"Daniel," Rachel said, tone admonishing. "How do you think we could afford our house? Anyhow, I'm off to cash this in."
"We're turning in," Steve said. "Have a nice night, Rachel."
"You too, Steven, Danny."
*
At eight am the following morning, Steve slid the key card in the door, and pushed the door open when the light blinked neon green.
The room was bright now. Danny was at the sink, shaving, and the sheets of the bed were wadded and torn halfway from the bed, rumpled onto the floor.
"Feels like home," Steve said.
"Up at dawn," Danny grumped, ignoring the jibe at his habit of leaving things all over the floor. "Why? Why are you like this?"
He splashed water on his face, and Steve went to straighten the duvet so he could flop down on it.
"I'm a morning person, nothing crazy about that."
"It's a little crazy, but what did I expect, given-" Danny waved his razor at Steve's outfitted person. "-given Hugo Boss over here."
Steve reclined, hands behind his head on the pillow, watching as Danny monologued.
When Steve had woken that morning, Danny had been stretched out like some sort of modern Tarzan, his normally AquaNetted hair crazy on one of the massive pillows. Steve'd looked blearily at his profile for a moment, still swimming in the vestiges of war dreams and memories, before he'd pushed out from beneath the covers, slipped on his pants, and left.
The deck had been near empty when he'd gotten to it, save the occasional crew member walking along the railings, checking ropes and riggings. They'd nodded to Steve as he'd leaned against the railing, looking into the dark water in the dusty, rose-hued morning. It smelled like the sea and a thousand things Steve had been forced to forget when he'd left Hawaii so many years ago, but now here he was, on the other side of it, building something.
Stepstan was the first person they ran into, over by the buffet. Everyone was dressed in brunch casual, an advertisement for tailored clothing that was comfortable because it had been fitted to fall like a second skin. Other than the sea air, the only tell that they were on the ship was the slow wobbling of the egg yolks in the tin pan that jiggled along with the hum of the motor.
When Danny sat down, after spending a long time by the bacon, he put down an extra plate of blueberry pancakes next to Steve's plate, and one in front of Grace's.
"Ah, you remembered," Steve said. "No napalm?"
"Picky," Danny admonished. "They didn't have that on hand. The waiter I asked got all uppity, even after I tried to explain it wasn't technically against Hawaii code, seeing as we're pushing international waters."
Danny dug into his own breakfast with a weak sort of gusto, with the set shoulders of one who is determined not to be sea sick.
"How are you this morning, Grace?" Steve loved the kid. She was squirting syrup all over her food, indiscriminately.
Grace looked up at him from her chair, and said, eyes huge, "Are you married to Danno?"
Danny laughed uncomfortably; it's not like he could lie to Grace, not off the bat like that, not ever.
"Grace," Stepstan said. "Steve and Danny are partners. They love each other and Steve is like me, another stepdad."
Steve felt a calm sort of urge to go outside for some air, until Grace said, "Okay" and the meal continued.
After they finished, Danny said, "Man, that was good."
"Yeah," Steve agreed. "Better than what I eat for breakfast, that's for sure."
"And I've seen his fridge," Danny told Rachel. "It contains the same thing mine does."
"Beer and meat?" Rachel said.
Danny nodded. "Beer and meat."
Steve stretched a little. "I could go in for a beer."
"You know what?" Danny said. "Grace and I have a prior engagement, don't we, Monkey?"
She nodded. "Can we go swimming?"
"You read my mind."
They left the dining area, moving out onto the heat of the deck. Rachel handed Danny the key card to their rooms so he could go get Grace's bathing suit. Danny pointed at Steve before he left, saying, "I'm watching you."
"What?" Steve spread his hands, and called after Danny, "What'd I do? And you're obviously not watching me; you're leaving!"
Danny made a dismissive gesture over a shoulder. Steve, Rachel and Step headed over to the bar.
When things got hairy an hour later, Stepstan was in the middle of recounting his trip to visit Rachel's family in England, and how Danny had, apparently, threatened to tell Steve to tell the Governor to contact the President to contact England and tell her to reinstate imprisonment at the Tower of London should anything happen to Grace off of American soil.
"First thing Rachel told me about Danny," Stepstan said, more talkative now that Danny was out of sight. "'Don't listen if my ex-husband threatens you. He is very protective of things he loves.'"
"I like to think of it as poetry," Steve said. "Harmless, but kind of frightening."
"I'll try to keep that in mind--" Stepstan was saying, when Steve caught sight of several crew members rushing in one direction, along the dining floor. He interrupted.
"Rachel, Stepstan," Steve said, and Step looked resigned, as if being interrupted was something he would become resigned to with Danny and his partner. "I don't want to frighten you, nothing's going to happen, but I need you to get back to your rooms immediately and lock yourselves inside."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"Danny and I were asked to oversee this cruise," he said. "There's little likelihood that anything will occur when you and your daughter are on board, everything is going to be alright, but to be sure of that, I'll need you to do exactly as I say."
"Don't condescend to me," Rachel said. "Let's find Danny and Grace."
Danny's voice mail picked up, and Steve briefly considered going it alone. He quickly ditched the thought, though; as they were on a ship, the suspects had nowhere to go, and it was better with two of them on this anyway.
Steve stalked the length of the floor inconspicuously, Rachel and Stepstan behind him. They slipped out onto the deck. There, they continued to stride until they reached the stairs, which he took in threes until they were up the two floors that took them to the outside pool area.
It was searing hot in the sun. Steve's eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, to begin the impossible task of finding two bathing suited people in a sea of swimmers. The sound of laughter and shouting comingled with the slap of pool water, and the crowds were huge. He couldn't see Danny or Grace anywhere.
In situations like this, he knew he should make himself visible.
He strode to the edge of the large pool, full of children and adults. He stood near the edge and turned in a slow circle, looking for two people who were a little paler than most. There were a lot of blonds at the pool.
"Aren't you a bit overdressed?"
He looked down to see Danny smiling up at him, hair slicked back like an otter's and forearms resting at the pool's edge. He frowned, though, when he caught sight of Rachel.
"Danny," Steve said. "They're on the move."
Danny was out in seconds. "Grace. Out of the pool, Monkey."
He hoisted her out, and they went to where they'd put their clothing. Steve handed Danny a towel, and explained the situation as Danny toweled dry and pulled on his khaki shorts and white polo.
"Three of the five that Kono identified were walking quickly towards the server's entrance," Steve said. "If we just go in through the office and take the back passageway that they've sealed off--"
"The emergency exit?" Danny scrubbed the towel over his head and finger-combed his hair straight backwards into place.
"Yeah, that's the one, we should be able to head them off. I think I know where they're going." Steve smiled briefly at Rachel and Step in what he thought was a comforting manner.
"You can't go through there," Rachel said. "That's a staff entrance."
Danny threw up his hands, and said, "Rachel--" as if they'd had many fights about legality in their time.
"Yes we can," Steve told her. "Stay calm, just go back to the room."
"No," she said. "I realize you think you're above the law, but in reality, you are not. I won't have you getting arrested, or killed."
Steve gave her a strong look. "Believe me when I tell you that the governor gave us authority."
"The Governor--"
"Look, Rachel," Danny said. "I know you care, but right now what's most important for this to go smoothly is that I know that my family is safe. Please, believe me when I say we'll handle this."
"Alright," she said. "But Daniel, don't do anything reckless. Steven, please take care of him."
"Oh you think I'm reckless?" Danny said.
"Yes, Daniel, in all of our time together I would say that I have noticed a reckless streak."
"This guy," Danny pointed at Steve with two fingers, like it was the gun he couldn't pull out, but would have if he could, so help him. "This guy is a madman--no, don't smile like that, it's not a compliment."
Steve smirked a bit, despite their situation, and said, "Rachel, we are going to get you, your husband, and your daughter safely off this ship."
"Good luck," Stepstan told them, and they were off.
They made it to the office in five minutes, and after briefly considering the array of navigational equipment, Steve called Kono.
"Kono here."
"We've got movement," he said. "The suspects are highly suspicious, and if I remember my navigation correctly, looking out the window here--" he peered out the port hole again. "--it appears we're out of sight of land. I want you to run these coordinates for me."
"I'm on it." There was a pause, and Steve turned to find Danny giving him a sweeping glance.
Kono was back in seconds. "Boss, sorry to say, but you're way off course. It looks like you're nearer to the next island, probably Kauai. Smells like foul play to me."
"Call it in, Kono. Get the coast guard out here, fast as possible. I'll contact the Governor."
"The smuggling," Danny was pacing the room. "Taking drugs to the next island. But isn't it obvious if they're commandeering a ship and taking it off course?"
"Not if the navigation officers are in on it," Steve thought aloud. "And the passengers won't give a shit if they can't see land, especially at night. We must have dropped the drug load to another vessel in the night, near Kauai--"
"And now we're making our way back to Oahu by this afternoon," Danny agreed. "In the mind of the passengers and the rest of the crew, everything is normal." He put a hand briefly over his face. "I'm rethinking what I said about that ass kicking."
"Yeah?"
"On the ground!"
"Might have to put that on hold," Steve muttered as he and Danny sunk to their knees, hands held out in front of them.
The three men Steve had seen entered the room. One man patted Steve down as the other two trained guns on them. He pulled three guns and a pen.
"You," he barked when he began to pat down Danny. "Why are you all wet?"
Danny looked at him, and Steve saw it coming right before it happened. "I was at the pool, you dickwa-- ow, ok, I deserved that," Danny tentatively touched a finger to where the man had punched him in the face.
"Hey!" There came a shout from down the hall. The two gunman jerked in that direction.
The man patting Danny down flicked his gaze to Danny and then to Steve. There was a moment that was tense like the stretch of a rubber band, and if he grabbed Danny, Steve would pull out his hidden dagger and throw it at his face, right here. Then the tension snapped. Danny flipped him with a leg to the ankle, grabbed one of the gun's he'd taken and pointed it at the man's head.
Steve saw it just as it was about to happen and yelled "Danny!" as one of the gunmen raised their gun and shot. Thanks to Steve's warning, Danny flung himself out of the way. The two gunmen were off, speeding out of sight.
Danny, who'd rolled out of the way, cursed, and spent a moment backing his target up against the door frame where he'd tried to escape.
"I got this one!" he yelled, and Steve shot off after the other two, knocking back a few chairs as he crossed into the dining room and then flinging himself out into the sunlight of the deck, where the two men were racing down the port side.
He was hot on their heels.
Steve shot one man in the leg, and allowed the other to jump off the ship into the waves below, where Steve knew he wouldn't give them any trouble for the time being. People were screaming and running, creating general chaos as Steve advanced on the man lying there with a bleeding leg.
"Ma'am, find me a crew member," he said to a nearby woman. She nodded, and rushed off.
Moments later, once a sizable crowd had drawn, and Steve was holding the man at gunpoint, three crew members ran onto the scene.
"Hawaii PD," he yelled. "I need you to detain this man, while I find my partner."
He rushed off, to find Danny.
When he made it down to the office once more, Danny had secured two men to a pipe, unconscious, and had the third on the ground. The man was struggling feebly, but Danny had him firmly on his front, and was twisting his arm in sharp jerks behind his back, with a knee between the shoulder blades.
"Looks like you got this about covered," Steve said. Danny looked up at him, and smiled that ruthless, exhilarated look he always had on his face after they'd brought the world to justice.
The look was longer than it should have been. Steve experienced that strange and uncomplicated emotion he always did around Danny, something nameless and heartening.
Danny gave a sudden yell, and the man beneath him, using the moment of distraction to his advantage, flung them both over and ended with his gun to Danny's neck.
"Drop it!" Steve yelled, but the man pushed the gun more firmly into Danny's neck.
"You drop it or I swear to god I will blow him apart." The man smiled smugly up at him. "What's it gonna be? I'll do it, I'm not even joking."
Steve dropped his gun.
"Take me," Steve said, putting his hands up.
The other man squinted at him.
"Take me, let him go, I'll come quietly," Steve said. "I don't even care what you do--"
"Steve," Danny bit out.
"Shut up," the man said, pushing Danny more firmly into the gaudy carpeting and watching Steve. "There's nothing in it for me, but nice try."
"Please." Steve said. "I'm a better hostage, I know higher ups. This guy's just some schmuck from New Jersey."
All he knew was that Kono and Chin would be so sad if anything happened to Danny, Danny had Grace depending on him, and Rachel and Stan, and a hundred other people Danny knew back home. Danny had come to Steve's home and Steve couldn't let anything happen to him, he'd never be able to live with himself if he did.
"Please," Steve said. He couldn't even recognize his own voice in his ears. "Please, I, I love him. He's my partner, just--"
The man gave him a look like he was insane, and Steve himself couldn't tell if he was acting or if he was speaking from somewhere in the chest region, but the guy was also a kid, somewhere in his mid-twenties, caught up in a drug smuggling ring. In short, he was scared and he was stupid, and knew that a better hostage could mean more leverage.
"Alright," he said. "Get over here."
Danny squirmed beneath him, and Steve felt relief unhinge the tightness in his throat.
He got slowly to his knees, avoiding Danny's eye, and put his hands together behind his back. The man watched him, took the twine that Danny had used the two unconscious men tied to the pole, and wound Steve's wrists, one-handed, keeping the gun trained on Danny.
It was a feat, but there was effectively no way either of them could move without getting shot, or at least not until the man went to tie Steve's ankles, and Danny kicked up at the man's wrist. The gun went off into the wall, and Danny rolled to grab at Steve's ankle.
He yanked out the hidden dagger, and stabbed the smuggler in the neck.
Steve rolled out of the way quickly, belatedly, and lay there for a moment while Danny stood over the body, breathing heavily.
*
Ordering Danny to snap the cuffs on the bad guys wasn't nearly so satisfying when he knew Danny was legitimately pissed at him.
"Because you conveniently decided to forget about the law for a second!" Danny was shouting, as the ship pulled to a halt near the shore.
"You know what?" Steve yelled back. "In case you'd forgotten, this whole thing is a little above the law. Because the Governor freaking told us to do it."
"This? This?" Danny waved the gun between the two of them. "This is undercover. This is..this is something that's gone a little too far in one direction-" here he put out two hands like pie slicers. "-and needs to go a little bit more, in another. Just because you have immunity, doesn't mean you can go throwing people into the ocean and trying to get yourself killed. You are an officer of the law."
There was a lengthy process of ushering passengers onto life boats and dinghies to take them to shore; legality said that once the cruise liner had dropped anchor, it had to be swept for drugs before reaching port. Once off the dinghies, they had to wade to shore, which seemed to piss Danny off even more. It would ruin their suits, but money they'd made gambling would probably cover that, Steve figured, and he never minded a swim.
Kono and Chin met them at the shore and helped apprehend the smugglers.
"All in a days work," Chin said. "You're looking a little damp, Danny."
"You know what Chin? That's because this guy--"
"Danny," Steve said. Danny rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Now that we've got all this figured out, squared away, I guess I can go now."
"Danny-"
"It's Saturday, Steve," he said. "We're no longer on the cruise, which makes it my day off. I'd appreciate it if you would listen to what I'm telling you, I'm going now."
Steve watched him stalk off across the wide parking lot, which was full of people hurrying to their cars and pulling out, escaping the climactic ending to their charity cruise. There would be tons of paperwork, Steve knew, but as they were above the law in many aspects, someone else would be responsible for doing it. Danny searched for his car for over two minutes in the sea of silver and white. Steve was still watching when Danny drove off.
"You going to just let him go?" Chin asked. Kono didn't say anything, but was looking at him, too. It was his call.
Steve thought about what he really wanted, how Steve felt it in his gut that he wanted to make Danny rant and wanted to make him happy. So many things were out of Steve's control, but this was actually something he could do, it was within his grasp.
And Danny had agreed with him without even having to say it, and said yours, too like he already saw how he fitted into Steve's life like a linchpin. Danny'd figured out and put words to something Steve had only just even thought to wonder at.
"No." Steve said, shaken to his senses. "No, of course not. I'm going to follow him."
He felt his pocket -- to where Danny had taken the keys and the car along with them. He jogged over to Rachel, who was seated with Grace, waiting while Stepstan spoke with authorities.
"I need your car," he told her.
"Of course you do," she said. Steve frowned, but Rachel just shook her head, sighing. "You're good for him, I told you."
Stepstan handed over the keys, and said, "We'll call the chauffeur. Make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous, Steven."
"Good man," Steve said, and he was off, pulling out his phone, which had reception everywhere, thank god for satellites. He called the woman who had access to all the satellite networks on the Earth and atmosphere.
"Let me get this straight," Catherine said when he was peeling out of the parking lot. "You're asking me to get you coordinates of your car off an icon reconnaissance satellite? You know I'd be severely reprimanded if I were to raise any more red flags?"
"Look," Steve said, the trees and buildings rushing past in a tropical blur. "I've got no excuses this time. And, also, it's not my car, it's my partner's."
"Woah woah woah. You met someone and you're actually allowing them to drive?"
She was laughing.
"Hey, let's not get too hasty. I'm the one who drives. Now can you do this for me? I could really use your help, Catherine. Next shore leave, beers are on me. Hell, I'll take you to dinner, the works."
"Oh I doubt you'll be allowed on a date any time soon," she said. "I'll text you the coordinates. I'm expecting first choice at the groomsmen."
"Scouts honor," he promised.
"You were boyscout and a navy seal? Good grief."
Steve followed Catherine's directions, speeding in the Mercedes along the edge of a cliff, the drop so immediate and sheer that it was like the world ended right there and infinity began. He would find Danny, he thought, no doubt in his mind.
"You're there," Catherine told him. "The car's stopped about a mile up, you should see it."
"Thanks Catherine," he said. He hung up, and sped the final minute and screeched to a stop in an impressive burning of rubber, the tread marks of his determination would be evident for years to come.
Danny was seated on the hood of the car, staring out into the distance, the view of the water and line of buildings far below. He turned when he heard the car, and was shouting unintelligibly before Steve even opened the door, so that all he caught when he got out was, "--almost flew off the cliff, you madman, learn how to drive, act like a normal human being for once, rather than--"
"You have a postcard of New Jersey in your sun visor," Steve said. This drew Danny up short.
"What?" Danny looked at him like he was insane, and for once Steve knew that it wasn't for show. Elucidating this thing was the most important thing in Steve's entire life, he saw it now.
"You love New Jersey," he said, spelling it out for the both of them in a cogent argument. "It's who you are. You have a picture of it in the sun visor so you can look at it from time to time, remember the thing you love."
"Yes," Danny said. Steve came closer, like Danny was an angry sand crab or a great white shark he had to approach with extreme caution.
"And you have a picture of Grace in your wallet," he said.
"Also true," Danny said, crossing his arms across his chest, looking windswept.
"You have a picture of Grace in your wallet, and Danny--" Steve said. He looked out at the water and then back. "Danny you have a picture of us in there, too. You look at it from time to time--"
"Not that often," Danny said. "I don't know what you're--"
"Each of the corners are bent," Steve told him. "The paper is clearly discolored on the back and all around the edges, like you take it out and put it back in a different position. I asked Kono, and she said she gave it to you months ago, it's not just for the job. You carry it with you everywhere."
Danny clenched his jaw, not denying it.
"So what? Is this like, some partner bonding thing. You said you loved me and then tried to hand yourself over to be killed, Steve, and you're making a big deal over a picture? If the next thing out of your mouth is a joke--"
Steve stepped in too close for it to be misconstrued. "The only reason I don't have one myself," he told Danny, filling the air between them with something that could break them, could change his entire life. "The only reason I don't keep pictures of us everywhere is that I have a photographic memory. And seeing you at work every day is better than any picture I could ever hold on to."
"Photographic-- great, what a creep, you--"
Steve kissed Danny's argument right off of his mouth.
*
When Steve gets to the office at 6am the next morning, he'll find the following news clippings sent direct from the office of the Governor of Hawaii.
And a bonus for reading: