Fic: Tangled 8/14
Title - Tangled
Characters - Danny/Steve, Kono, Chin, OC's (Rick Steadman, Kau'i Keahi, John Dawson, Michael Petersen)
Rating - NC17
Warnings - BDSM, established Dom/sub relationships, torture, abuse, dark themes, slash
Summary - A case hits close to home as the team work to track down an attacker who has a personal vendetta against Richard Steadman.
A/N - Sequel to - ' Wear No Disguise'. A revised version of this fic I began months ago. Has had some scenes removed and is a completed work.
Chapters - One : Two : Three : Four : Five : Six : Seven : Eight : Nine : Ten : Eleven : Twelve : Thirteen : Fourteen
~
Steve was summoned mid-day to the Governor’s office. All four of them glanced at each other over the computer table when Steve took the call and the others were ready to go with him but he shook his head. He'd deal with the Governor alone. No doubt he'd heard of them taking on the case, usually these days it was a case of waiting for the Governor to assign them one he thought needed their particular attention.
They glanced sceptically at one another - Denning wasn't going to be happy unless they had something to tell him, which was very little.
"We could make something up," Chin suggested, knowing it was a long shot. "Enough to buy us some time."
Steve shook his head again, leaning down on the table. "Isn't there anything? Anything we can go on, something solid I can take to him to sell the case?"
One by one they shook their heads in reply. They'd followed up everything and it all came up zero. For two solid days and well into the evenings they'd searched for something, but it was like David simply didn't exist. Steve would have gladly went to the Governor with a cover story if he knew that they were onto something, but it was becoming increasingly frustrating to them all that the case was drying up and fast.
"Look, I go in, explain the situation," Steve shrugged. "He'll tell us to wrap it up, close it down. So we make it look like we do but we can keep looking right? Even if he gives us another case, we've so little to go on with this, that it won't take much of our efforts to still run it under the radar as it were."
Chin nodded in thought, "I'll put a call in with Duke. I put an APB out on David when we first pulled his face from the video. I'll ask him to keep an ear to the ground, eyes on the street, fill him in on the details a little more. That way, even if we are assigned to something else, this has still got some priority, even under the radar."
Silently they all agreed and Danny walked with Steve to the car.
"Sure you don't want me to come with?" Danny asked him.
"No, it's fine," Steve shook his head. "We should maybe call Rick; give him a heads up on this. He isn't going to be too happy but he needs to know the truth Danny. And he needs to understand we aren't giving up on this."
"I'll call him," Danny agreed, putting a hand on is arm before he could walk to the car. "Hey, call me as soon as you're finished with Denning. Good luck okay; don't let him give you any shit about taking this case on. Rick wanted the best and he got the best, fuck the Governor if he thinks different."
Steve smirked and nodded, heading for the car as Danny got on the phone to Rick.
~
Kau'i looked at Rick as he finished on the phone. Rick had booked them into luxurious rooms at the Hilton and he was currently lain out on the bed resting, glad to have escaped the hospital. Rick had a look on his face that caught Kau'i attention and he sat up, moving the pillows so he could rest upright against the headboard.
"What's wrong?" Kau'i asked when Rick didn't say anything, staring thoughtfully out of the window.
"That was Danny," Rick explained quietly. "He just wanted to tell us that he thinks the Governor may be pulling the investigation."
Kau'i processed the information with a slow swallow, giving a small nod of understanding.
"Danny says technically they'll be forced to but unofficially they'll of course continue working the case and they are quietly getting HPD involved," Rick said, turning to him and walking to the bed, sitting on the edge by him. "But he says they keep coming to dead ends with any leads they get. Everything they've followed so far has come to nothing. It's like David doesn't exist, the only thing connecting him to the case is the video footage from the house."
Kau'i reached out blindly for Rick's hand, fingers fumbling against his thigh before they connected and coiled into Rick's.
"It's like he had this all meticulously planned," Rick sighed, feeling helpless. He hadn't felt helpless in a long time. Too long. He was at a loss as to what to do, for Kau'i, for himself. "I'm sorry baby."
"Five 0 are doing their best," Kau'i said trying to be optimistic. But inside he felt bitter and angry. David tied him to a rack and tortured him, leaving no trace. The son of a bitch couldn't be allowed to get away with this. It wasn't fair.
~
Steve walked out of the Governor's office with a headache forming and itchy fingers. Like he wanted to shoot something. Danny was right - fuck the Governor for not understanding the intricacies of the investigation. A man had been tied to a rack and tortured, his attacker leaving no trace. How did Denning not understand the seriousness of the case? Of course, it hadn't had publicity as the team had worked with HPD to keep it from the media as much as they could. A quiet case didn't do much for Denning's public image, especially one with zero leads and the one suspect gone without a trace.
Steve grimaced as he walked from the building to the car. Fuck public image, the task force wasn't just there to keep Denning looking good. He called Danny as he stood by the car, calming down before he drove.
"How'd it go?" Danny asked without even saying hello as he answered the phone.
"Case is closed," Steve replied. "Unless you've come up with something in the forty minutes I've been in with Denning."
There was a pregnant pause of silence.
"I'm heading back to HQ," Steve continued.
"He give us another case?" Danny asked.
"No," Steve replied. "But he wants this one closed. He sees no point in continuing if we have nothing to go on. Did you speak to Rick?"
"I explained the situation," Danny told him. "He says he understands but he won't be happy."
"As long as he doesn't do anything stupid," Steve said in thought. "But then he's as oblivious as us in knowing where David is."
~
When Steve arrived at HQ there was a dejected atmosphere in the bullpen. Kono glanced up at him with a grim smile and shrug of her shoulder.
"Sorry boss," she said, like it were affecting Steve on a personal level. He appreciated the thought and gave her a nod of acceptance. "So what now?"
"We wait until a new case comes up," Steve said as they gathered around. "So I guess that means we get a little downtime. After the last few days, we should make the most of it."
Everyone nodded but were reluctant to think about enjoying themselves. An unsolved case with frustratingly little to go on wasn't something they were used to and certainly not something they wanted to give up on. But they had to tread carefully with the new governor.
"Okay," Chin nodded, pulling away. "Guess I'll go close those files."
"Yeah me too," Kono nodded. Pausing before she reached her office she turned back to Steve and Danny. "Hey boss, want to go to the firing range later?"
Steve smiled and looked at her; he obviously wasn't the only one who needed to vent the frustration by firing off a few rounds.
"Sure," he nodded. "When you're done come find me."
Kono went into her office and Steve turned to find Danny watching him knowingly. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders in response.
"What? You'd prefer I go blow something up rather than shoot at an unmoving target?" Steve teased.
"You two," Danny said, waving a hand between Steve and the direction of Kono's office. "Just, don't go too crazy okay. I do not want to hear you've both been asked never to return to the firing range again because you both got a little over eager with your weapons."
"Come with us," Steve smiled, walking with him to his office.
"No, I'll let you two kids go play," Danny shook his head. "I can think of other ways to vent my frustrations at this case."
Steve patted him on the shoulder, looking sarcastically eager. "Oh I look so forward to listening to the venting later. I'm sure I'll be the receiver of all that complaining."
Danny smiled, gave him a nudge of his elbow and went into his office.
"Call me later when you're done," Danny told him over his shoulder. "And babe, don't decide before you get there that blowing something up would be a funner way to spend your afternoon."
"Yes Sir," Steve mocked from the doorway before leaving to go to his own office.
Danny had to pause and watch him walk away. It was the first time Steve had said 'Sir' to him in days and whilst it may have been in jest, Danny couldn't help but feel the tug and pull of something inside him at the sound if it.
~
Rick sat by the window, the room was bathed in darkness as Kau'i slept. The evening had went nicely but Kau'i had been washed out by the end and hadn't needed any coaxing to go back to the suite to rest. The pain meds were pretty strong which only helped wipe him out further and Rick had tucked him up as he fell soundly asleep. Rick hoped it would be a deep sleep undisturbed by memories and nightmares of what David had done to him.
David - the little sleep Rick had been getting had been about David. Like memories awoken of their time together. Each dream felt familiar yet David turned dark and sinister within them, causing Rick to wake suddenly sweating, heart racing. He wondered how long he'd be haunted by the memories.
He'd spoken again with Steve about the case. Between them Danny and Steve had kept him updated with proceedings and he could understand the frustrations. Rick had even made calls of his own, but none of their old acquaintances had an idea of where David had gone once he'd left the island. Had he been planning this kind of revenge since he'd left? And why? That was what bothered Rick so much, that he couldn't understand David's motivations.
He looked over at the sleeping form of his lover. Rick couldn't understand how any person could have done that to his Kau'i. The image of how Kau'i had looked strapped to the rack was imprinted on his mind. He couldn't shake the horror he'd felt, the wave of weakness and fear that had run through him. He wanted to lay him out and kiss away every bruise and mark that David had put on his body, like his touch could chase away the pain and memory of how each mark had been made.
Though they shared a bed Rick had made no attempt to touch or be intimate in any way that would pressure Kau'i into thinking he wanted more than he was ready to give. Hugs, kisses, holding him Rick would and could do and Kau'i seemed more than happy to be bestowed with the attention. They'd spoken little of what had happened since Kau'i had told Steve and Danny what David had done to him. If Kau'i needed to talk, Rick was ready to listen, but he was determined that Kau felt no pressure from him for anything.
Rick hadn't mentioned the house, going home didn't seem an option for the time being. Who knew when Kau'i would be comfortable going back to the mansion. Even Rick felt sickened when he thought of going home. David had turned the place into something sinister and dark, especially the cells. For now and days to come, Rick wouldn't be taking any clients and he didn't feel a loss at that. Up until now, working as a Pro Dom had been his life, he'd mastered his craft, continued to learn with willing subjects. But now, he felt nothing for the lifestyle or that part of his life. He didn't miss it like he thought he would and that surprised him. He thought he'd feel loss or sadness, miss it in some way but he didn't. All he currently cared about was keeping Kau'i safe, watching him get better and come through this with as little damage as possible. He'd been damaged enough physically but hopefully the mental scars wouldn't last.
Rick smiled standing and crossing the room. It was a cool in the room and he turned the air con off before sliding under the sheets, curling up to the warm heat Kau'i gave off where he lay. Rick rested gently against him, hand light on his thigh and he dipped his head and rested it between Kau'i's shoulder blades. He wasn't sure what message David had been trying to pass along - perhaps a show of jealousy, or power. Merely a 'fuck you' to him for whatever hurts he still carried after all these years. Rick didn't care, because David had hurt Kau'i, but he hadn't broke him. In fact in part, he'd given him a renewed strength, a fighting spirit to overcome the abuse he'd endured. A strength that proved to Rick they'd get through it, no matter how long it took.
He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him, hoping instead of David filling his dreams; it would be memories of Kau.
~
The next days were unproductive. The governor had put the case to rest but hadn't come up with anything new for them, so they carefully followed up loose leads, though nothing came of it. The weekend hit and Steve was in the kitchen preparing food for the evening as Danny arrived home after a quick visit to the local store. Steve listened to him as he walked through the house talking.
"...wow, that big huh? - sounds amazing," Danny said, setting down the bags in his arms, phone caught between his cheek and his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have a great time monkey. Hey I just got home, you want to talk to Steve?"
Steve grinned and wiped his hands on a cloth before taking the phone extended out to him.
"Hey Grace," he said.
"Hey Steve, what ya doing?" Grace asked lightly.
"Chin and Kono are coming over," Steve told her. "We're making kebabs."
"Aww, on the grill?" Grace asked, sounding disappointed not to be there.
"Want me to keep you some?" Steve teased, Danny rolling his eyes at him as he unpacked the bags.
"No silly, I'm going away this weekend remember," Grace pointed out. "We're going to stay with Stan's mom and dad."
"Aww well next time huh," Steve assured her. "You could always have kebabs there."
"I don't think so," Grace said a little sadly. "Any way, they wouldn't be the same as yours."
"Grace, we need to go darling. You can call Danno when we arrive," Steve heard Rachel say in the background.
"K' mom," Grace replied, before sighing deep. "I gotta go."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later okay," Steve told her. "I'll put Danno back on. Aloha."
"Aloha Steve, love you," Grace said before he handed the phone over.
Steve was a little surprised by the words and handed the phone to Danny with a smile his face. Danny frowned, taking the phone and saying his goodbyes and 'love you's' also before hanging up.
"What?" Danny asked him as Steve's eyes drifted to the phone as he set it on the counter.
"Grace just said 'love you' to me," Steve said slowly.
"She had excellent taste," Danny grinned, moving closer and putting a hand on his hip. "Though it's usually customary to reply with 'love you too'."
"She's never said that to me before," Steve pointed out.
Danny couldn't help but laugh at Steve's reaction. "You're cute when you're surprised babe. Really. Now, how’s the food coming along? Chin and Kono will be here soon."
"Nearly done," Steve replied, shaking his head clear and thinking ahead. "I'll go start the grill."
He peeled himself from Danny's hold and start outside, Danny following and leaning on the doorpost.
"Steve, if the subject comes up," Danny began carefully. "Will you be okay talking about, you know, us?"
Steve stood by the grill and began preparing to light it, pausing to look over at Danny. "You mean our relationship?"
Danny nodded, watching him closely, "As in, the lifestyle side of our relationship?"
Steve turned and got on with lighting the coals, turning the idea round in his head. He'd been having questions himself about that side of them, could he talk honestly about it to Chin and Kono if they were brave enough to broach the subject? Danny came up behind him, resting a hand on his back.
"It's okay if you don't want to," Danny assured him.
"We always talked about telling them," Steve shrugged, thinking aloud. "Or the idea of telling them, if it would make a difference them knowing or not."
"It's an important part of us," Danny said in agreement, 'or it was' he thought to himself.
Steve nodded awkwardly, coals lit he turned towards Danny who didn't move away. He just looked at him closely, a small smile on his lips.
"If they ask, then I'm happy talking about it," Steve said with a firm nod. "I'd rather I answer their curiosity than leave it to their imaginations."
Danny snorted at the idea, knowing Kono wasn't at all innocent with her thoughts. He'd been drinking with her long enough to know she had a mind that could drift to the gutter if encouraged and certainly had an extensive imagination when it came to sex. And who knew what Chin was thinking, he was a tough person to read but no doubt he knew and understood more than he let on. He certainly hadn't held back in asking about their relationship when they'd first gotten together.
"Okay," he nodded, stepping back. "Great."
~
"John," Kau'i said, standing and giving him a small wave to get his attention.
John turned and saw him, giving a smile before weaving through the tables towards him. It was a warm evening and they'd arranged to meet outside, have drinks and a meal together.
Kau'i waited for him to come and John gave him a brief hug before pulling away. They both took each other in, thinking the other looked tired. John looked concerned and Kau'i reflected the look back but neither of them mentioned it.
"Where's Michael?" Kau'i asked as they sat down.
"He can't make it," John replied, pulling in his chair. "He said to apologise for him. If he can he'll join us later but something came up last minute. Where's Rick?"
"He had to take a call, he'll be back soon," Kau'i explained.
They looked at each other again, a pause of silence.
"So, how have you been?" John asked cautiously.
Kau'i sized up the question, giving a small shrug. He could be honest with John, when anyone else asked; he usually just shrugged and said 'fine'.
"Been a little sore today," he replied, sitting back. "Like aching you know? I had a bad night, the doc gave me something to help me sleep but I was restless still. Rick's worried."
"Of course he is," John said, leaning over to put a hand over his. "We all are."
"I just keep having moments you know," Kau'i continued with a weak smile. "Where like everything is fine, I don't even think about what happened and then the next minute it's like I'm back there again. Then there's times when all I can think about is what happened."
"Kau it's only been a few days," John told him. "It's going to take a long time to get over it."
"I know," Kau'i nodded in understanding, frowning, his brow furrowing as he looked at John. "But then I keep thinking what if I don't get over it?"
John couldn't answer that and looked at him grimly. He was used to Kau'i being upbeat and positive; he usually found the bright side of every situation. It was difficult to see him struggling to find that part of himself again.
"You'll get over it because you have Rick and me and friends who want to help you," John said firmly. "And because you're too stubborn to let the bastard win."
Kau'i blinked at the mere mention of David and John swallowed down, wishing he hadn't broached the subject. But David was part of this, not just as Kau'i's attacker, but as part of Rick's past.
"Rick won't talk about him," Kau'i said. "Not really. I tried talking to him today and he just won't speak of him."
"Why do you need to talk about him?" John shrugged. He'd prefer conversation of David be kept to a minimum also. He still couldn't understand how the David he knew years ago could have done what he did.
"It's just," Kau'i began, pausing and leaning over to pick up his drink, knocking back a mouthful. "I guess I'm trying to understand him. All I ever knew about him was that he broke Rick's heart when they broke up. And that he tied me to a rack and tortured me. All I know is a shadow, I didn't see his face and Rick's never shown me pictures. Is it weird that I need to know about him? Like I'm trying to understand him so I can understand what he did to me?"
"That's the trouble Kau," John told him softly. "The David I knew, the one who Rick loved, isn't the person who did this to you. It was a shock when they broke up because up until then, I honestly thought they'd be together, well, forever. Which is weird because I guess it's the way I think about you and Rick now."
"I can't imagine leaving Rick," Kau'i shook his head hard. "And I don't know what I'd do if he left me."
"Who’s leaving who?" Rick interrupted them, appearing behind Kau'i's chair and setting hands on his shoulders with a warm squeeze. Kau'i relaxed into the touch with a smile.
"Nobody," Kau'i replied with a shake of his head as Rick pulled away to lean down and give John a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"How you doing John?" Rick asked, taking a seat by Kau.
"Good thanks," John replied with a smile. "Michael couldn't make it."
"Okay," Rick agreed, not pressing for details. He eyed John closely, taking in the tiredness of his eyes and the awkward way he sat on the chair. John winced, shifting slightly and Rick was wise enough to understand he was dealing with a pained ass. The past few days he'd seen John he'd been in some type of pain, Rick's practised eye picked up signs other people didn't. It concerned him that Michael was being so strict at such a complicated and stressful time in John's life.
But he reminded himself that John always had the power to stop what was happening.
Characters - Danny/Steve, Kono, Chin, OC's (Rick Steadman, Kau'i Keahi, John Dawson, Michael Petersen)
Rating - NC17
Warnings - BDSM, established Dom/sub relationships, torture, abuse, dark themes, slash
Summary - A case hits close to home as the team work to track down an attacker who has a personal vendetta against Richard Steadman.
A/N - Sequel to - ' Wear No Disguise'. A revised version of this fic I began months ago. Has had some scenes removed and is a completed work.
Chapters - One : Two : Three : Four : Five : Six : Seven : Eight : Nine : Ten : Eleven : Twelve : Thirteen : Fourteen
~
Steve was summoned mid-day to the Governor’s office. All four of them glanced at each other over the computer table when Steve took the call and the others were ready to go with him but he shook his head. He'd deal with the Governor alone. No doubt he'd heard of them taking on the case, usually these days it was a case of waiting for the Governor to assign them one he thought needed their particular attention.
They glanced sceptically at one another - Denning wasn't going to be happy unless they had something to tell him, which was very little.
"We could make something up," Chin suggested, knowing it was a long shot. "Enough to buy us some time."
Steve shook his head again, leaning down on the table. "Isn't there anything? Anything we can go on, something solid I can take to him to sell the case?"
One by one they shook their heads in reply. They'd followed up everything and it all came up zero. For two solid days and well into the evenings they'd searched for something, but it was like David simply didn't exist. Steve would have gladly went to the Governor with a cover story if he knew that they were onto something, but it was becoming increasingly frustrating to them all that the case was drying up and fast.
"Look, I go in, explain the situation," Steve shrugged. "He'll tell us to wrap it up, close it down. So we make it look like we do but we can keep looking right? Even if he gives us another case, we've so little to go on with this, that it won't take much of our efforts to still run it under the radar as it were."
Chin nodded in thought, "I'll put a call in with Duke. I put an APB out on David when we first pulled his face from the video. I'll ask him to keep an ear to the ground, eyes on the street, fill him in on the details a little more. That way, even if we are assigned to something else, this has still got some priority, even under the radar."
Silently they all agreed and Danny walked with Steve to the car.
"Sure you don't want me to come with?" Danny asked him.
"No, it's fine," Steve shook his head. "We should maybe call Rick; give him a heads up on this. He isn't going to be too happy but he needs to know the truth Danny. And he needs to understand we aren't giving up on this."
"I'll call him," Danny agreed, putting a hand on is arm before he could walk to the car. "Hey, call me as soon as you're finished with Denning. Good luck okay; don't let him give you any shit about taking this case on. Rick wanted the best and he got the best, fuck the Governor if he thinks different."
Steve smirked and nodded, heading for the car as Danny got on the phone to Rick.
~
Kau'i looked at Rick as he finished on the phone. Rick had booked them into luxurious rooms at the Hilton and he was currently lain out on the bed resting, glad to have escaped the hospital. Rick had a look on his face that caught Kau'i attention and he sat up, moving the pillows so he could rest upright against the headboard.
"What's wrong?" Kau'i asked when Rick didn't say anything, staring thoughtfully out of the window.
"That was Danny," Rick explained quietly. "He just wanted to tell us that he thinks the Governor may be pulling the investigation."
Kau'i processed the information with a slow swallow, giving a small nod of understanding.
"Danny says technically they'll be forced to but unofficially they'll of course continue working the case and they are quietly getting HPD involved," Rick said, turning to him and walking to the bed, sitting on the edge by him. "But he says they keep coming to dead ends with any leads they get. Everything they've followed so far has come to nothing. It's like David doesn't exist, the only thing connecting him to the case is the video footage from the house."
Kau'i reached out blindly for Rick's hand, fingers fumbling against his thigh before they connected and coiled into Rick's.
"It's like he had this all meticulously planned," Rick sighed, feeling helpless. He hadn't felt helpless in a long time. Too long. He was at a loss as to what to do, for Kau'i, for himself. "I'm sorry baby."
"Five 0 are doing their best," Kau'i said trying to be optimistic. But inside he felt bitter and angry. David tied him to a rack and tortured him, leaving no trace. The son of a bitch couldn't be allowed to get away with this. It wasn't fair.
~
Steve walked out of the Governor's office with a headache forming and itchy fingers. Like he wanted to shoot something. Danny was right - fuck the Governor for not understanding the intricacies of the investigation. A man had been tied to a rack and tortured, his attacker leaving no trace. How did Denning not understand the seriousness of the case? Of course, it hadn't had publicity as the team had worked with HPD to keep it from the media as much as they could. A quiet case didn't do much for Denning's public image, especially one with zero leads and the one suspect gone without a trace.
Steve grimaced as he walked from the building to the car. Fuck public image, the task force wasn't just there to keep Denning looking good. He called Danny as he stood by the car, calming down before he drove.
"How'd it go?" Danny asked without even saying hello as he answered the phone.
"Case is closed," Steve replied. "Unless you've come up with something in the forty minutes I've been in with Denning."
There was a pregnant pause of silence.
"I'm heading back to HQ," Steve continued.
"He give us another case?" Danny asked.
"No," Steve replied. "But he wants this one closed. He sees no point in continuing if we have nothing to go on. Did you speak to Rick?"
"I explained the situation," Danny told him. "He says he understands but he won't be happy."
"As long as he doesn't do anything stupid," Steve said in thought. "But then he's as oblivious as us in knowing where David is."
~
When Steve arrived at HQ there was a dejected atmosphere in the bullpen. Kono glanced up at him with a grim smile and shrug of her shoulder.
"Sorry boss," she said, like it were affecting Steve on a personal level. He appreciated the thought and gave her a nod of acceptance. "So what now?"
"We wait until a new case comes up," Steve said as they gathered around. "So I guess that means we get a little downtime. After the last few days, we should make the most of it."
Everyone nodded but were reluctant to think about enjoying themselves. An unsolved case with frustratingly little to go on wasn't something they were used to and certainly not something they wanted to give up on. But they had to tread carefully with the new governor.
"Okay," Chin nodded, pulling away. "Guess I'll go close those files."
"Yeah me too," Kono nodded. Pausing before she reached her office she turned back to Steve and Danny. "Hey boss, want to go to the firing range later?"
Steve smiled and looked at her; he obviously wasn't the only one who needed to vent the frustration by firing off a few rounds.
"Sure," he nodded. "When you're done come find me."
Kono went into her office and Steve turned to find Danny watching him knowingly. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders in response.
"What? You'd prefer I go blow something up rather than shoot at an unmoving target?" Steve teased.
"You two," Danny said, waving a hand between Steve and the direction of Kono's office. "Just, don't go too crazy okay. I do not want to hear you've both been asked never to return to the firing range again because you both got a little over eager with your weapons."
"Come with us," Steve smiled, walking with him to his office.
"No, I'll let you two kids go play," Danny shook his head. "I can think of other ways to vent my frustrations at this case."
Steve patted him on the shoulder, looking sarcastically eager. "Oh I look so forward to listening to the venting later. I'm sure I'll be the receiver of all that complaining."
Danny smiled, gave him a nudge of his elbow and went into his office.
"Call me later when you're done," Danny told him over his shoulder. "And babe, don't decide before you get there that blowing something up would be a funner way to spend your afternoon."
"Yes Sir," Steve mocked from the doorway before leaving to go to his own office.
Danny had to pause and watch him walk away. It was the first time Steve had said 'Sir' to him in days and whilst it may have been in jest, Danny couldn't help but feel the tug and pull of something inside him at the sound if it.
~
Rick sat by the window, the room was bathed in darkness as Kau'i slept. The evening had went nicely but Kau'i had been washed out by the end and hadn't needed any coaxing to go back to the suite to rest. The pain meds were pretty strong which only helped wipe him out further and Rick had tucked him up as he fell soundly asleep. Rick hoped it would be a deep sleep undisturbed by memories and nightmares of what David had done to him.
David - the little sleep Rick had been getting had been about David. Like memories awoken of their time together. Each dream felt familiar yet David turned dark and sinister within them, causing Rick to wake suddenly sweating, heart racing. He wondered how long he'd be haunted by the memories.
He'd spoken again with Steve about the case. Between them Danny and Steve had kept him updated with proceedings and he could understand the frustrations. Rick had even made calls of his own, but none of their old acquaintances had an idea of where David had gone once he'd left the island. Had he been planning this kind of revenge since he'd left? And why? That was what bothered Rick so much, that he couldn't understand David's motivations.
He looked over at the sleeping form of his lover. Rick couldn't understand how any person could have done that to his Kau'i. The image of how Kau'i had looked strapped to the rack was imprinted on his mind. He couldn't shake the horror he'd felt, the wave of weakness and fear that had run through him. He wanted to lay him out and kiss away every bruise and mark that David had put on his body, like his touch could chase away the pain and memory of how each mark had been made.
Though they shared a bed Rick had made no attempt to touch or be intimate in any way that would pressure Kau'i into thinking he wanted more than he was ready to give. Hugs, kisses, holding him Rick would and could do and Kau'i seemed more than happy to be bestowed with the attention. They'd spoken little of what had happened since Kau'i had told Steve and Danny what David had done to him. If Kau'i needed to talk, Rick was ready to listen, but he was determined that Kau felt no pressure from him for anything.
Rick hadn't mentioned the house, going home didn't seem an option for the time being. Who knew when Kau'i would be comfortable going back to the mansion. Even Rick felt sickened when he thought of going home. David had turned the place into something sinister and dark, especially the cells. For now and days to come, Rick wouldn't be taking any clients and he didn't feel a loss at that. Up until now, working as a Pro Dom had been his life, he'd mastered his craft, continued to learn with willing subjects. But now, he felt nothing for the lifestyle or that part of his life. He didn't miss it like he thought he would and that surprised him. He thought he'd feel loss or sadness, miss it in some way but he didn't. All he currently cared about was keeping Kau'i safe, watching him get better and come through this with as little damage as possible. He'd been damaged enough physically but hopefully the mental scars wouldn't last.
Rick smiled standing and crossing the room. It was a cool in the room and he turned the air con off before sliding under the sheets, curling up to the warm heat Kau'i gave off where he lay. Rick rested gently against him, hand light on his thigh and he dipped his head and rested it between Kau'i's shoulder blades. He wasn't sure what message David had been trying to pass along - perhaps a show of jealousy, or power. Merely a 'fuck you' to him for whatever hurts he still carried after all these years. Rick didn't care, because David had hurt Kau'i, but he hadn't broke him. In fact in part, he'd given him a renewed strength, a fighting spirit to overcome the abuse he'd endured. A strength that proved to Rick they'd get through it, no matter how long it took.
He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him, hoping instead of David filling his dreams; it would be memories of Kau.
~
The next days were unproductive. The governor had put the case to rest but hadn't come up with anything new for them, so they carefully followed up loose leads, though nothing came of it. The weekend hit and Steve was in the kitchen preparing food for the evening as Danny arrived home after a quick visit to the local store. Steve listened to him as he walked through the house talking.
"...wow, that big huh? - sounds amazing," Danny said, setting down the bags in his arms, phone caught between his cheek and his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have a great time monkey. Hey I just got home, you want to talk to Steve?"
Steve grinned and wiped his hands on a cloth before taking the phone extended out to him.
"Hey Grace," he said.
"Hey Steve, what ya doing?" Grace asked lightly.
"Chin and Kono are coming over," Steve told her. "We're making kebabs."
"Aww, on the grill?" Grace asked, sounding disappointed not to be there.
"Want me to keep you some?" Steve teased, Danny rolling his eyes at him as he unpacked the bags.
"No silly, I'm going away this weekend remember," Grace pointed out. "We're going to stay with Stan's mom and dad."
"Aww well next time huh," Steve assured her. "You could always have kebabs there."
"I don't think so," Grace said a little sadly. "Any way, they wouldn't be the same as yours."
"Grace, we need to go darling. You can call Danno when we arrive," Steve heard Rachel say in the background.
"K' mom," Grace replied, before sighing deep. "I gotta go."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later okay," Steve told her. "I'll put Danno back on. Aloha."
"Aloha Steve, love you," Grace said before he handed the phone over.
Steve was a little surprised by the words and handed the phone to Danny with a smile his face. Danny frowned, taking the phone and saying his goodbyes and 'love you's' also before hanging up.
"What?" Danny asked him as Steve's eyes drifted to the phone as he set it on the counter.
"Grace just said 'love you' to me," Steve said slowly.
"She had excellent taste," Danny grinned, moving closer and putting a hand on his hip. "Though it's usually customary to reply with 'love you too'."
"She's never said that to me before," Steve pointed out.
Danny couldn't help but laugh at Steve's reaction. "You're cute when you're surprised babe. Really. Now, how’s the food coming along? Chin and Kono will be here soon."
"Nearly done," Steve replied, shaking his head clear and thinking ahead. "I'll go start the grill."
He peeled himself from Danny's hold and start outside, Danny following and leaning on the doorpost.
"Steve, if the subject comes up," Danny began carefully. "Will you be okay talking about, you know, us?"
Steve stood by the grill and began preparing to light it, pausing to look over at Danny. "You mean our relationship?"
Danny nodded, watching him closely, "As in, the lifestyle side of our relationship?"
Steve turned and got on with lighting the coals, turning the idea round in his head. He'd been having questions himself about that side of them, could he talk honestly about it to Chin and Kono if they were brave enough to broach the subject? Danny came up behind him, resting a hand on his back.
"It's okay if you don't want to," Danny assured him.
"We always talked about telling them," Steve shrugged, thinking aloud. "Or the idea of telling them, if it would make a difference them knowing or not."
"It's an important part of us," Danny said in agreement, 'or it was' he thought to himself.
Steve nodded awkwardly, coals lit he turned towards Danny who didn't move away. He just looked at him closely, a small smile on his lips.
"If they ask, then I'm happy talking about it," Steve said with a firm nod. "I'd rather I answer their curiosity than leave it to their imaginations."
Danny snorted at the idea, knowing Kono wasn't at all innocent with her thoughts. He'd been drinking with her long enough to know she had a mind that could drift to the gutter if encouraged and certainly had an extensive imagination when it came to sex. And who knew what Chin was thinking, he was a tough person to read but no doubt he knew and understood more than he let on. He certainly hadn't held back in asking about their relationship when they'd first gotten together.
"Okay," he nodded, stepping back. "Great."
~
"John," Kau'i said, standing and giving him a small wave to get his attention.
John turned and saw him, giving a smile before weaving through the tables towards him. It was a warm evening and they'd arranged to meet outside, have drinks and a meal together.
Kau'i waited for him to come and John gave him a brief hug before pulling away. They both took each other in, thinking the other looked tired. John looked concerned and Kau'i reflected the look back but neither of them mentioned it.
"Where's Michael?" Kau'i asked as they sat down.
"He can't make it," John replied, pulling in his chair. "He said to apologise for him. If he can he'll join us later but something came up last minute. Where's Rick?"
"He had to take a call, he'll be back soon," Kau'i explained.
They looked at each other again, a pause of silence.
"So, how have you been?" John asked cautiously.
Kau'i sized up the question, giving a small shrug. He could be honest with John, when anyone else asked; he usually just shrugged and said 'fine'.
"Been a little sore today," he replied, sitting back. "Like aching you know? I had a bad night, the doc gave me something to help me sleep but I was restless still. Rick's worried."
"Of course he is," John said, leaning over to put a hand over his. "We all are."
"I just keep having moments you know," Kau'i continued with a weak smile. "Where like everything is fine, I don't even think about what happened and then the next minute it's like I'm back there again. Then there's times when all I can think about is what happened."
"Kau it's only been a few days," John told him. "It's going to take a long time to get over it."
"I know," Kau'i nodded in understanding, frowning, his brow furrowing as he looked at John. "But then I keep thinking what if I don't get over it?"
John couldn't answer that and looked at him grimly. He was used to Kau'i being upbeat and positive; he usually found the bright side of every situation. It was difficult to see him struggling to find that part of himself again.
"You'll get over it because you have Rick and me and friends who want to help you," John said firmly. "And because you're too stubborn to let the bastard win."
Kau'i blinked at the mere mention of David and John swallowed down, wishing he hadn't broached the subject. But David was part of this, not just as Kau'i's attacker, but as part of Rick's past.
"Rick won't talk about him," Kau'i said. "Not really. I tried talking to him today and he just won't speak of him."
"Why do you need to talk about him?" John shrugged. He'd prefer conversation of David be kept to a minimum also. He still couldn't understand how the David he knew years ago could have done what he did.
"It's just," Kau'i began, pausing and leaning over to pick up his drink, knocking back a mouthful. "I guess I'm trying to understand him. All I ever knew about him was that he broke Rick's heart when they broke up. And that he tied me to a rack and tortured me. All I know is a shadow, I didn't see his face and Rick's never shown me pictures. Is it weird that I need to know about him? Like I'm trying to understand him so I can understand what he did to me?"
"That's the trouble Kau," John told him softly. "The David I knew, the one who Rick loved, isn't the person who did this to you. It was a shock when they broke up because up until then, I honestly thought they'd be together, well, forever. Which is weird because I guess it's the way I think about you and Rick now."
"I can't imagine leaving Rick," Kau'i shook his head hard. "And I don't know what I'd do if he left me."
"Who’s leaving who?" Rick interrupted them, appearing behind Kau'i's chair and setting hands on his shoulders with a warm squeeze. Kau'i relaxed into the touch with a smile.
"Nobody," Kau'i replied with a shake of his head as Rick pulled away to lean down and give John a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"How you doing John?" Rick asked, taking a seat by Kau.
"Good thanks," John replied with a smile. "Michael couldn't make it."
"Okay," Rick agreed, not pressing for details. He eyed John closely, taking in the tiredness of his eyes and the awkward way he sat on the chair. John winced, shifting slightly and Rick was wise enough to understand he was dealing with a pained ass. The past few days he'd seen John he'd been in some type of pain, Rick's practised eye picked up signs other people didn't. It concerned him that Michael was being so strict at such a complicated and stressful time in John's life.
But he reminded himself that John always had the power to stop what was happening.