fic: The Devil's in the Details
Title: The Devil's in the Details
Author: stellarmeadow
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Paring: Steve/Danny
Rating: PG
Summary: Danny thinks Steve doesn't pay attention.
Notes:
I would like to thank the show for the silver platters. Please keep them coming. :)
This follows in the series of season 4 codas, so you should probably read The Weight of the World, Wallowing, A Moment, Drunk and Disoriented, and Cognitive Dissonance first.
SPOILERS FOR 406 INSIDE! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
The car always seemed so much quieter on the way back from dropping Grace off. Danny turned on the radio, but the ridiculous 80s station reminded him of Steve, so he turned it off again. Of all the things he could think about, Steve ranked just above sharks and tunnels. He absolutely wasn't thinking about Steve or the way Steve had been looking at him on that bus on Halloween, or how he'd looked almost disappointed when Danny didn't actually put on the thong.
Then again, it was Steve. Maybe that was just his 'I left my grenades in my other pants' face.
He hadn't seen Steve all day, having taken the day off to hang out with Grace, since she was off from school. He'd stopped himself from texting Steve, from inviting him to go with them to the zoo, and from contacting him in any way. Because he needed some distance before he drove himself crazy. And right now, he really needed to stop thinking about Steve.
He distracted himself instead by planning the rest of his evening. Beer, definitely, maybe the hockey game he'd recorded earlier. Watching the Devils lose wasn't likely to put him in a better mood, but it was better than nothing.
He was intent on the beer when he walked into the room, so he could be forgiven for jumping about six feet when he realized there was a person sitting on his couch. "Jesus--Steven! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry," Steve said. "I figured you were taking Grace back to Rachel's and you'd be back soon, so I just waited."
"You know breaking and entering's a crime, right?"
"It's not breaking and entering if the occupant gives you a key, Danny."
Which was fair, or it would be once Danny's heart stopped beating at twice its normal rate. Danny dropped his keys on the table beside the couch and looked down at Steve. "So what are you doing here?"
"I can't just stop by to see how you're doing?" At Danny's long look, Steve ducked his head and shrugged. He looked up at Danny through his lashes, making Danny worry he was going to need to sit down and put a pillow over his lap to hide his reaction if that went on much longer. "Okay," Steve said at last, "I came...to apologize."
"For which one of your many, many transgressions did you actually decide to cough up an apology?"
He'd expected Steve to roll his eyes or make a smartass remark back. He hadn't expected him to look worried. He certainly hadn't expected that worried look to turn almost guilty. "I thought I knew you," Steve said at last, the words slow and halting, as if he was still working them out in his head. "How did I not know something as basic as the fact that you're claustrophobic?"
Danny shrugged. "It's not like I go around advertising my weaknesses. Bad guys would have a field day with that. 'Oh, hey, need to hide from Detective Williams? Just find the nearest tunnel, you're set!'"
"Yeah, but I'm not the bad guys. I mean...all the time we spend together...how did I miss that?"
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."
"It is," Steve said, standing up. "We're partners. And I can tell you that you have this face when Grace calls that I don't even need to wait for you to answer to know who's on the phone. You have a tell when you're lying that I can spot in half a second. You always wear blue the day after you drop Grace off because it matches your mood."
He took a few steps towards Danny. "You still put your hand up to your neck when you're feeling smug, like you're going to straighten your tie, even though you don't wear one anymore. You tell everybody that scar on your wrist was from a fall out of a tree, but it was really your sister and the Barbie incident you have to be drunk to talk about. You need five sugars in your coffee, unless it's from Starbucks, then you need seven. So tell me," Steve said, taking a quick breath, "how did I miss something so fundamental?"
Danny realized, with sudden clarity, what had bothered Steve so much. It wasn't just that he hadn't known about the claustrophobia, it was that Danny thought he didn't pay attention. Because for Steve to know all that, he had to be paying very close attention. Constantly. And Danny had just dismissed it like he hadn't noticed Steve watching.
Which... he hadn't. He'd been too busy trying to hide how closely he was watching to notice.
"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Danny said.
"I'm not." Steve took a couple more steps, bringing him so close Danny could smell his aftershave. He had a special love/hate relationship with that smell. "Do you really think that I don't pay attention? That I don't know your schedule backwards and forwards, that I don't know where you are in the room without looking? I couldn't stop paying attention if I tried. And believe me, I've tried."
There was a haunted look in Steve's eyes, and dark circles under them. That told Danny he'd been up most of the night, probably driving himself crazy over this. "Okay," Danny said, in the tone he used for jumpers and people with guns, "okay. Believe me, that's more than enough proof that you pay attention."
"Really?" Steve took one step closer, and now Danny could feel that draw he always felt when he got too close, like he was being pulled into Steve's orbit. "Because I hadn't gotten to my last example."
Something about Steve's face set off warning signs in Danny's head. "You've made your point," Danny said quickly.
Steve shook his head. "I know," Steve said slowly, "that look that you get sometimes, the one that I couldn't figure out until last night, the one that drives me crazy, when your eyes go dark and you can't seem to stop looking at my mouth. That one," Steve said, tongue darting out to wet his lips, "that you have right now."
Before Danny could move, Steve leaned in, pressing his lips to Danny's. This was nothing like that first kiss on the beach. This kiss was...a siege, for lack of a better word, Steve aiming to conquer and destroy, as usual, but Danny couldn't find the strength to push him away.
Instead he leaned into the kiss, his hands finding their way under Steve's shirt, his fingertips stuttering their way up Steve's back to grip at his shoulder blades.
Steve let him go at last, his own hands having managed to get on Danny's bare back as well. He rested his forehead against Danny's.
"I do pay attention, Danno," Steve said softly, his breath hot on Danny's mouth. "I just don't know what to do with...with all this." He lifted his head, and Danny opened his eyes to find Steve's searching them intently. "I...Cath needs me right now. With everything she's been through...I can't just...."
Danny nodded. "I know." He did. He understood completely. She'd been through hell--losing Steve could be the last straw.
Whether or not that made it right didn't matter.
Danny was the first to move, letting go of Steve and stepping back. He straightened his shirt to avoid having to look Steve in the eye. "You should probably go."
"Danny, I--"
"You've made your point, Steve," Danny said, managing to meet Steve's eyes. If Steve was paying as much attention as he claimed, he'd know from Danny's face that the point hadn't helped, and neither would staying right now. "You said it yourself, Cath needs you. So you should go home to her, and we should pretend this never happened."
Steve licked his lips and Danny tamped down a surge of want that made its way up from his groin. "Okay," Steve said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "You're right. I should go."
He brushed past Danny, the touch of their arms like an electric shock. When he'd taken a few more steps towards the door, Steve turned back. "You're right," he said. "We should pretend this didn't happen. For now." He fixed Danny with the look that Danny instantly recognized as his 'get this point or else' look. "But Cath won't always need me. And neither one of us is going to forget this happened. Are we clear?"
When Danny didn't respond, Steve repeated the question. "Yes," Danny said. "Clear. Now go." Because if he didn't, Danny was dragging him down to the bedroom and there was only so much either of them could forget, no matter who needed them.
With one last nod, Steve turned and left.
---
END
407 - Dancing Around Elephants
Author: stellarmeadow
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Paring: Steve/Danny
Rating: PG
Summary: Danny thinks Steve doesn't pay attention.
Notes:
I would like to thank the show for the silver platters. Please keep them coming. :)
This follows in the series of season 4 codas, so you should probably read The Weight of the World, Wallowing, A Moment, Drunk and Disoriented, and Cognitive Dissonance first.
SPOILERS FOR 406 INSIDE! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
The car always seemed so much quieter on the way back from dropping Grace off. Danny turned on the radio, but the ridiculous 80s station reminded him of Steve, so he turned it off again. Of all the things he could think about, Steve ranked just above sharks and tunnels. He absolutely wasn't thinking about Steve or the way Steve had been looking at him on that bus on Halloween, or how he'd looked almost disappointed when Danny didn't actually put on the thong.
Then again, it was Steve. Maybe that was just his 'I left my grenades in my other pants' face.
He hadn't seen Steve all day, having taken the day off to hang out with Grace, since she was off from school. He'd stopped himself from texting Steve, from inviting him to go with them to the zoo, and from contacting him in any way. Because he needed some distance before he drove himself crazy. And right now, he really needed to stop thinking about Steve.
He distracted himself instead by planning the rest of his evening. Beer, definitely, maybe the hockey game he'd recorded earlier. Watching the Devils lose wasn't likely to put him in a better mood, but it was better than nothing.
He was intent on the beer when he walked into the room, so he could be forgiven for jumping about six feet when he realized there was a person sitting on his couch. "Jesus--Steven! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry," Steve said. "I figured you were taking Grace back to Rachel's and you'd be back soon, so I just waited."
"You know breaking and entering's a crime, right?"
"It's not breaking and entering if the occupant gives you a key, Danny."
Which was fair, or it would be once Danny's heart stopped beating at twice its normal rate. Danny dropped his keys on the table beside the couch and looked down at Steve. "So what are you doing here?"
"I can't just stop by to see how you're doing?" At Danny's long look, Steve ducked his head and shrugged. He looked up at Danny through his lashes, making Danny worry he was going to need to sit down and put a pillow over his lap to hide his reaction if that went on much longer. "Okay," Steve said at last, "I came...to apologize."
"For which one of your many, many transgressions did you actually decide to cough up an apology?"
He'd expected Steve to roll his eyes or make a smartass remark back. He hadn't expected him to look worried. He certainly hadn't expected that worried look to turn almost guilty. "I thought I knew you," Steve said at last, the words slow and halting, as if he was still working them out in his head. "How did I not know something as basic as the fact that you're claustrophobic?"
Danny shrugged. "It's not like I go around advertising my weaknesses. Bad guys would have a field day with that. 'Oh, hey, need to hide from Detective Williams? Just find the nearest tunnel, you're set!'"
"Yeah, but I'm not the bad guys. I mean...all the time we spend together...how did I miss that?"
"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."
"It is," Steve said, standing up. "We're partners. And I can tell you that you have this face when Grace calls that I don't even need to wait for you to answer to know who's on the phone. You have a tell when you're lying that I can spot in half a second. You always wear blue the day after you drop Grace off because it matches your mood."
He took a few steps towards Danny. "You still put your hand up to your neck when you're feeling smug, like you're going to straighten your tie, even though you don't wear one anymore. You tell everybody that scar on your wrist was from a fall out of a tree, but it was really your sister and the Barbie incident you have to be drunk to talk about. You need five sugars in your coffee, unless it's from Starbucks, then you need seven. So tell me," Steve said, taking a quick breath, "how did I miss something so fundamental?"
Danny realized, with sudden clarity, what had bothered Steve so much. It wasn't just that he hadn't known about the claustrophobia, it was that Danny thought he didn't pay attention. Because for Steve to know all that, he had to be paying very close attention. Constantly. And Danny had just dismissed it like he hadn't noticed Steve watching.
Which... he hadn't. He'd been too busy trying to hide how closely he was watching to notice.
"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Danny said.
"I'm not." Steve took a couple more steps, bringing him so close Danny could smell his aftershave. He had a special love/hate relationship with that smell. "Do you really think that I don't pay attention? That I don't know your schedule backwards and forwards, that I don't know where you are in the room without looking? I couldn't stop paying attention if I tried. And believe me, I've tried."
There was a haunted look in Steve's eyes, and dark circles under them. That told Danny he'd been up most of the night, probably driving himself crazy over this. "Okay," Danny said, in the tone he used for jumpers and people with guns, "okay. Believe me, that's more than enough proof that you pay attention."
"Really?" Steve took one step closer, and now Danny could feel that draw he always felt when he got too close, like he was being pulled into Steve's orbit. "Because I hadn't gotten to my last example."
Something about Steve's face set off warning signs in Danny's head. "You've made your point," Danny said quickly.
Steve shook his head. "I know," Steve said slowly, "that look that you get sometimes, the one that I couldn't figure out until last night, the one that drives me crazy, when your eyes go dark and you can't seem to stop looking at my mouth. That one," Steve said, tongue darting out to wet his lips, "that you have right now."
Before Danny could move, Steve leaned in, pressing his lips to Danny's. This was nothing like that first kiss on the beach. This kiss was...a siege, for lack of a better word, Steve aiming to conquer and destroy, as usual, but Danny couldn't find the strength to push him away.
Instead he leaned into the kiss, his hands finding their way under Steve's shirt, his fingertips stuttering their way up Steve's back to grip at his shoulder blades.
Steve let him go at last, his own hands having managed to get on Danny's bare back as well. He rested his forehead against Danny's.
"I do pay attention, Danno," Steve said softly, his breath hot on Danny's mouth. "I just don't know what to do with...with all this." He lifted his head, and Danny opened his eyes to find Steve's searching them intently. "I...Cath needs me right now. With everything she's been through...I can't just...."
Danny nodded. "I know." He did. He understood completely. She'd been through hell--losing Steve could be the last straw.
Whether or not that made it right didn't matter.
Danny was the first to move, letting go of Steve and stepping back. He straightened his shirt to avoid having to look Steve in the eye. "You should probably go."
"Danny, I--"
"You've made your point, Steve," Danny said, managing to meet Steve's eyes. If Steve was paying as much attention as he claimed, he'd know from Danny's face that the point hadn't helped, and neither would staying right now. "You said it yourself, Cath needs you. So you should go home to her, and we should pretend this never happened."
Steve licked his lips and Danny tamped down a surge of want that made its way up from his groin. "Okay," Steve said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "You're right. I should go."
He brushed past Danny, the touch of their arms like an electric shock. When he'd taken a few more steps towards the door, Steve turned back. "You're right," he said. "We should pretend this didn't happen. For now." He fixed Danny with the look that Danny instantly recognized as his 'get this point or else' look. "But Cath won't always need me. And neither one of us is going to forget this happened. Are we clear?"
When Danny didn't respond, Steve repeated the question. "Yes," Danny said. "Clear. Now go." Because if he didn't, Danny was dragging him down to the bedroom and there was only so much either of them could forget, no matter who needed them.
With one last nod, Steve turned and left.
---
END
407 - Dancing Around Elephants