Steve Williams-McGarrett Plans to the Rule the World, Part Deux

Danny felt the emptiness of the bed before he was fully awake. He wasn’t really surprised that Steve wasn’t asleep next to him. When Super SEAL’s brain went into overdrive, it took a lot of time and effort for get him to gear it down. Danny figured that wouldn’t happen for another couple of days then he would crash. Hopefully the inevitable crash wouldn’t be too hard or cause too much damage.

“Hey Babe,” Danny said, approaching Steve who was standing in the open doors to the balcony that faced their beach, the very earliest light from dawn just beginning to brighten the sky.

“Hey,” Steve replied, looking down at him when Danny was standing in front of him. “Go back to bed.”

“I will in a minute,” Danny said, turning his back to Steve to lean against him, knowing Steve would support him. Steve’s arms winding around his waist confirmed Steve’s need of him, as Danny suspected. “Talk to me.”

Steve’s arm tightened nearly imperceptivity and his breathing stopped for just a second.

“Talk,” Danny requested softly.

“What if I fuck this up?” Steve finally asked, staring out over Danny’s head at the ocean.

“I won’t say you won’t make mistakes, Babe. Of course you will. But not out of stupidity or malice. You will do exactly what you think is best for this state and her people. That’s all anyone wants from you. That’s why you were elected. They trust you. I trust you. I sure wouldn’t have had children with you if I didn’t.” Danny waited. He could feel the wheels turning, Steve considering his words, weighing, measuring.

“What do I know about running the state government?” Steve finally asked.

“You know about being in charge. You know about getting the best people to help you. That’s what being governor is really about. Despite what I like to claim, you do know people. You can size them up, understand what they can and cannot do, whether or not they are the ones you need to have in place.”

“Really?” Steve said smiling into Danny’s hair. “You tell me I can’t relate mammal to mammal.”

“That’s in a failed effort to keep you humble. Not that it’s helped. At all.”

That got a laugh out of Steve, his right arm tightening around Danny’s middle, his left hand snaking beneath Danny’s waistband. “Want me to take your mind off everything else?”

“I could be persuaded. Given the right motivation,” Danny claimed, thrusting his hips to increase the amount of contact with Steve’s hand.

“What sort of motivation?” Steve asked, nibbling on Danny’s neck.

“Do not give me a hickey, you animal. Everyone will see it tomorrow,” Danny protested.

“Here they won’t,” Steve said, biting Danny’s shoulder and sucking on the mark.

“You are such an animal,” Danny repeated, moaning without his conscious permission. His body was also responding without his permission.

“You like it,” Steve pointed out, working Danny’s boxers down until he could step out of them.

“I like you. Although I can’t really imagine why. Because you are so completely out of control. And you drive me out of my mind.”

“Don’t think I don’t know that,” Steve assured him, his hand encircling Danny’s erection. “You want me to blow you?”

“Do you need to ask?” Danny asked, moaning softly.

“We need to go further inside,” Steve told him, nodding at the guard patrolling the beach with his dog by his side.

“Yeah. I guess they don’t need a show,” Danny said, looking down at himself. “Think he can see me?”

Steve shrugged, backing up and taking Danny with him. When he was certain they were out of the line of sight of the officer, he went to his knees before Danny, his hands warm on Danny’s hips. Danny had his fingers buried in Steve’s hair, not directing, just holding on. Because, God, what Steve was doing with his mouth and tongue was sinful. Illegal. Mind-blowing. And Danny didn’t want it to ever end. He knew it had to because he’d lose his mind if it didn’t. But what a way to go.

“Babe,” he moaned in warning. Steve just looked up at him through his lashes, lust written all over Steve’s face in a language only Danny could read. When Steve hollowed out his cheeks, Danny was done. The only thing holding him up was Steve. There would be finger shaped bruises blossoming on Danny’s hips by morning, evidence of Steve’s presence.

“What do you want?” Danny whispered down to Steve when he could speak.

Steve ducked his head, his forehead resting on Danny’s hard stomach.

“Babe?” Danny prompted, carefully kneeling to face Steve. A soft finger lifted Steve’s chin, Danny studying his shuttered face. “What?”

Steve shook his head, leaning forward to kiss Danny. It was warm and gentle and nothing like what his mouth had just been doing.

“You aren’t even hard,” Danny said in apology. “Did you not want that?”

“Of course I did,” Steve assured him, pulling Danny to him. He easily shifted Danny until he was settled between Steve’s thighs, Steve’s back supported by the bed.

“Then what?” Danny asked, interlacing their fingers and holding on. He could feel Steve’s shrug against his back. “Can I guess? If I get it right will you confirm? Or even deny?”

Steve smiled against Danny’s shoulder before nodding.

“You have gone into Super SEAL pre-combat mode,” Danny said, his words caressing, knowing of Steve. “You are considering all contingencies – what could go wrong. Where the flaws are. Where the exits are located. When it’s strategically viable to send up the flares. What plan B will be if your very carefully laid out plan A fails.” Danny twisted in Steve’s arms, meeting the slate grey eyes. “Am I close?”

“Of course,” Steve agreed, his voice betraying some of his uncertainty, the fears he couldn’t even admit to Danny.

“First, this isn’t combat. And you aren’t going in this alone,” Danny reminded him. “Kono will be there. I know you hate Sebastain. Anybody with sense would but he does have the advantage of knowing the ropes. A year from now, you can fire him.”

“I’ll give you his pink slip as a Christmas present.”

“I’ll take it,” Danny agreed. “He’ll recommend the best people for the rest of the vacancies. Some you’ll accept. Some you won’t. You already have an excellent core group. Listen to them. Make them yours like you did with Five-0. Only with fewer explosions and less gunfire.”

“I can’t make any promises,” Steve said with a warm laugh against Danny’s skin.

“I know,” Danny sighed, trying to sound all put-upon.

“I won’t have you,” Steve said almost too quietly for Danny to hear.

“Oh Babe,” Danny breathed, shifting so he was facing Steve. “You won’t be without me. I know you wish you could give me a ‘real’ job. And I appreciate it. That doesn’t mean I won’t be with you every step of the way.”

“There’s already things I’m not allowed to tell you,” Steve reminded him.

“And I’m used to your ‘classified’ walls. I am not going to try and scale them. Have I ever?”

Steve shook his head at that, leaning his forehead against Danny’s. “This is so… huge.”

“I know it is. But it’s nothing my Super SEAL can’t handle,” Danny told him, making it sound like a promise.

“You won’t be my back-up,” Steve whispered, his voice sounding so very far away.

“Wrong, Babe. I will be your back-up until you say otherwise. I don’t have a job, you may have noticed. The only responsibilities I now have are to watch out for you and your various and assorted children. Which can number from two to eleven, counting you. I will shake hands and cut ribbons and christen ships until I’m blue in the face. Because that’s what the spouse of the governor does. And at night, I’ll be in our bed, listening to you whether or not you talk. I’ll listen to your silences and I’ll listen to your concerns. And I’ll tell you what your slightly off-kilter, completely untraditional family did that day that you were forced to miss.”

“How did you get so smart?” Steve asked, kissing the red blotch he had left on Danny’s shoulder.

“I always have been. You just didn’t notice,” Danny claimed, smiling at him. “Now I either need to get back in bed or find the boxers you divested me of. Because it’s not very much longer until full dawn and your daughter will no doubt come bursting in here to drag you down to the ocean for your ridiculously early swim.”

“For the last time,” Steve said, revealing more than he intended in those words.

“Except the residence has a pool. Where you can swim without your faithful SEAL companion. You and baby seal can swim to your hearts’ content.”

“It’s not the same.”

Danny sighed and shook his head, getting to his feet and reaching down his hand. Steve took it but rose without Danny’s help, much more gracefully than Danny appreciated. “I know. Things are changing. But we aren’t banned from coming back here. As long as we bring our detail with us we can sneak out and come home. Now,” Danny said, his hands on his bare hips as he looked up in love at his goof-ball. “Bed? Or beach?”

Steve leaned down enough to kiss him, turning when they were done to take the last pair of swim trunks he had saved out of the boxes.

“Of course,” Danny grumbled. “I knew you loved the ocean more than you did me. I’ll go get your daughter then I’ll start the coffee.”

“Thank you,” Steve said with a smile. “Ask my son if he wants to come.”

“I will,” Danny agreed, pulling on his jeans and not bothering with a shirt. There would be enough time for appropriate dress. For now, he was home and wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.

~o0o~

After they finished swimming and having breakfast and packing, it was time to leave the house. The kids were excited about the new adventure their life was about to become but still felt like leaving the house was in some way incredibly monumental even if they weren’t able to articulate their thoughts.

“I think they feel nostalgic,” Steve suggested. “Even though they don’t know what that means.”

“Yeah,” Danny agreed, hugging John and Emma to him, Steve hugging them all.

“You’re squishing us,” Emma complained, trying to shove Steve but not with any true intent of making him back away. “You aren’t your squishies.”

“Your squishies?” Steve repeated. “I don’t even know what that means.”

“You don’t need to,” John said, looking over Danny’s shoulder to watch the approach of Henry, a determined expression on his face. “Uhmm… I think we’re late.”

“Sir,” Henry said, looking up at Steve.

“Yes, Agent Weller,” Steve responded, waiting.

“You are expected at the capitol in half an hour. The ceremony is at 11:30,” Henry reminded them.

“Right,” Steve said, releasing the children and backing away. “You ready?”

They all nodded and with a last glance at the house, piled into the black sedans that would be their primary mode of travel for the foreseeable future.

~o0o~

The inauguration went flawlessly, Steve looking splendid in his dress blue uniform. Danny beamed with pride as he held the Bible so that Steve could swear to faithfully uphold the laws and constitution of Hawaii and the United States. It made Danny think of the first time they had met and it was all he could do not to laugh out loud at Steve. So inappropriate, he knew.

Emma and John sat on the first row, watching their fathers with pride shining from their expressions, Mary next to them. On the second row were Rachel and Stan with Grace, her husband Aomu next to her, Zachary next to Aomu, and Alicia on Zach’s other side. They had been concerned that Zachary couldn’t handle the public nature of the ceremony but he was so happy for Steve, he had no trouble focusing on what was going on around him.

Kono, Charlie and their five children were on the third row. She would be sworn in as Lieutenant Governor as soon as Steve’s ceremony was complete. Danny told her that she looked spectacular in her blue and green dress that managed to be a perfect combination of native fabric and formal authority. She laughed, her eyes sparkling as only hers could.

Chin and Malia were on the second row as both a member of Steve’s ohana and because Chin was head of the 5-0 taskforce. Which Steve had promised Chin would once again have full immunity and means, while Danny made Chin promise that would not include any more than three or four explosions per day. Chin laughed and assured him ‘no problem brah.’ Danny wanted to be surprised that Chin was at the inauguration wearing his typical tropical print shirt but in truth he knew that Chin would. That this one was more subtle than usual and made of silk was impressive. Malia’s dress reflected the colors, highlighting them both and the love that arched between them.

Chin riled up Danny by telling him he had expected Danny to wear a suit and tie, Danny telling him that would have been appropriate but Steve had told him no. If Steve was going to wear his Naval uniform, Danny needed to wear his police uniform. Chin offered to help Danny run as many extra miles as necessary to fit back into it but Danny chose to ignore him, relieved that the pants would fasten and all the jacket buttons would close without any extra miles, thank you so much.

Once the ceremony was complete, Steve had no choice but to make his official speech, Danny forced repeatedly to tell him beforehand that no he could not make a speech consisting of protect, yadda yadda yadda, defend, blah blah blah, prosperity for all, blah yadda blah, dude let’s all go surfing. Although Danny was fairly certain that if Steve did give a speech that sounded like that Sebastian would have an actual heart attack. Not that Danny wanted him dead. Just no longer giving them endless orders and suggestions and not terribly subtle hints on how to act appropriately. Danny told Steve that he might not be able to wait an entire year for Steve to fire Sebastian, nothing personal of course. Oh wait. It was very personal. Steve just laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners and melting Danno’s heart a little bit more.

The ceremony and speech were followed by the traditional parade, all of them walking behind the floats and bands and other appropriate parade-like paraphernalia. They waved until they thought their hands would fall off and smiled until their faces froze and greeted the cheering crowds lining both sides of road. Steve thought it was all just so much nonsense but he knew he had absolutely no choice, even before Danny had reminded him of it. Repeatedly.

“You will walk in the parade. You will smile. You will look like you are enjoying yourself.”

“Or?” Steve asked, laughing at his Danno.

“We won’t have sex until you’re out of office,” Danny warned.

“That’s steep,” Steve said, shaking his head.

“And when we go to the Ball, you will, you know,” Danny said, waving his hand to encompass Steve, their children, and all of Hawaii.

“Act like I’m enjoying myself?” Steve asked, distracting Danny with his kisses. “Is that it?”

“Yes, you animal. Stop with the kisses. We need to get ready for the inauguration.”

As ordered, Steve waved and smiled and looked like he was having the time of his life as they walked in the parade. Next to him, Danny kept one eye on Steve, one eye on the children although Chin and Mary were officially in charge of them. Steve’s fingers curled around Danny’s hand, holding like he had no intentions of ever letting go and Danny was fine with it.

Steve would have liked to have worn his hat, both because it was an official part of his uniform and as a way to partially hide from those staring at him. But Danny knew his tricks and with his hat low on his forehead, he would look more formidable than welcoming. He did allow as how Steve could carry it under his arm, understanding that Steve was a stickler for regulations even those for the service from which he was retired. Carrying it fulfilled Steve’s need to obey and Danny’s need to see all of his goof-ball’s beautiful face.

They arrived at the residence with several hours to spare before the Ball. The ten kids would not be persuaded to nap, not even Kono and Charlie’s three year old Malu. They all tried to persuade her to nap but none of her actual or extended brothers and sisters were sleeping so she wasn’t either. That settled, they fed them all a late lunch, everyone gathered around the huge table with much laughter and talking and stories shared.

The children were divided by gender rather than parentage, the boys under the watch of Chin, the girls going with Malia. There were campaign workers dispatched to assist with the changing and the primping and preparing. All of the dresses and outfits had been purchased by Steve and Danny despite the protests of the “real” parents. Steve and Danny turned a deaf ear to the protests, letting the children decide what they wanted to wear. Power of veto was reserved but not needed. Even though Malu decided she should wear a fairy princess dress. Steve wasn’t so sure but Danny was okay with it. Kono and Charlie thought it was adorable. And she was only three. So to no one’s surprise, Malu prevailed, picking out a surprisingly low-key princess dress of lavender with an appropriate amount of sparkles and a matching tiara.

They all convened in the foyer of the residence, the children chattering excitedly. Steve and Danny, in their tuxedos, formed a two man receiving line, inspecting each child as he or she strolled by, youngest to oldest.

With their approval, they all went to the Ball, waiting until Sebastian said they were ready to enter. As they had for ‘inspection,’ the children entered by age, the guests cheering as each child was announced. Chin and Malia entered with Zachary, ensuring that if it was too much for him, they would intervene. Zachary descended the steps like a champion, smiling at the group of his school friends that had been included.

Grace and Aomu entered with Mary just before Kono and Charlie, Steve and Danny following them. Rachel and Stan were already at the ohana table, choosing not to make any sort of entrance. They preferred that the children be honored prior to Steve and Danny.

Steve and Danny were greeted with thunderous applause and cheers, Danny seeing the color rising in his cheeks, his ears painted a pale pink from embarrassment.

“This is your fault,” Steve reminded Danny as they stood alone at the top of the enormous staircase. His smile didn’t falter even as he was giving the glare of death to Danny.

“I do know that,” Danny assured him, squeezing his fingers. “Come on, Governor. Your fans await.”

“So much hate for you,” Steve claimed, starting down the steps as the anthem began to play.

“No you don’t. You adore me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have three perfect children. You would probably have died a dozen times if I weren’t your back up.”

“Nobody can die more than once, Danno,” Steve said as they continued their slow way down the steps.

“You’d find a way, Super SEAL,” Danny said. “Look at our children. Then you won’t care who else is here.”

Steve nodded once, focusing on the ten children waiting breathlessly for him to arrive at their table. The littlest ones were waving, the older ones trying to stop them. But there was not stopping their enthusiasm. And Steve and Danny were okay with it. Because Sebastian would not be able to stop the kids now.

The evening passed mostly in a blur, with food and greetings from friends and supporters, dancing and champagne, photos and remarks. The kids were having a wonderful time, Malu falling asleep on Mary’s lap. Next in line Laelkeik followed his sister several minutes later, his head lolling on Chin’s shoulder. Their oldest, Ian, finally persuaded all of the Kalakaua-Fong children to leave with him. Malia left with them, Kono not able to leave the Ball. And Charlie wouldn’t leave because Kono couldn’t.

It was past 1:00 a.m. when Sebastian finally told Governor and Detective Williams-McGarrett they were free to go. Danny carried Alicia, Steve waking up John to let him know it was time to go home. With thanks and kisses and a slow good-bye, they were finally able to leave the Ball behind, sighing in relief when they arrived at the residence. The security detail assured them that they had done a sweep of the residence and it was completely safe for the family to enter and go to bed.

Danny settled Alicia and Steve helped John undress for bed. Certain the children were comfortable and already asleep, Steve and Danny entered their own oversized bedroom, barely managing to stay awake long enough to remove their tuxedos before tumbling into bed. Steve landed mostly on top of Danny, long arms and legs tangling with Danny’s and pinning him to the mattress. Despite his grumbling about the oversized octopus he’d married, Danny wrapped warm arms around his goof, holding tight as they fell asleep for the first time as the Governor and his significant other.