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Sometimes Danny wondered if his daughter was his own personal Kryptonite. It was the only reasonable explanation for the fact that he had been roped into having this conversation again. So instead of doing last minute Christmas shopping, they were sitting and having shaved ice while Grace made her same argument.
“But you have to, Danno, you have to! Please! There are people out there suffering!“ Grace cast pleading eyes up at Danny, weakening his resolve. He hadn’t worked with a Gifted since his partner on the force, Grace’s namesake, had been killed in the line of duty.
Danny sighed. “Agreeing to a new matching is a huge step, monkey. I never know who I might end up with. And it’s not as if I haven’t done my duty already. I’m not quite sure I’m ready to risk losing another partner, another bond-mate. My job is sometimes dangerous, you know that. Chances are that my new Gifted would be some sort of medium again. Maybe a Precog or even a Veritat. And I might have to leave HPD if my Gifted is something else entirely. Like a realm walker.” Danny shuddered at the thought. Chances were slim, but there was still a slight possibility that he would end up with a ghost-hunting, demon-seeing bond-mate.
“But at school they said there are a lot of Gifted who still need a Balance, and who have to rely on suppressants to survive. They’re miserable because of it, Danno. Why can’t you help one feel better? I think Grace would want you to. You named me after her. You said she was nice. She would want you to be happy with someone else, right? And Gifted need Balances. They can’t really help it.”
It was a child’s logic. Unfortunately, it was also true.
Danny sighed again. She was gearing up to use her trump card, Danny could feel it. Ever since her blood test had identified her as a latent Gifted, the topic of him agreeing to another matching was a reoccurring topic. It was exhausting, and Danny was running out of arguments. And now the curriculum at school apparently covered Gifted and Balances along with their not-so-glorious history.
“I’ll think about it,” Danny offered, but apparently that wasn’t good enough an answer for Grace.
“No thinking about it, Danno. What is there to think about, anyway? How would you feel if I had to rely on suppressants and be miserable because my perfect Balance decided to not volunteer? You’d be very upset, admit it!” She jammed her spoon into her shaved ice and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a glare.
“Yes, all right? Yes, I would be upset. And I really hope you find a good match one day. But that doesn’t mean I have to volunteer again. Most Gifted have multiple possible matches. What makes you think anyone will choose me? I’m hardly anyone’s idea of a perfect fit. A lot of the Gifted needing a Balance will be almost teenagers still. Have you thought about that? I don’t think anyone with half a brain will choose a Balance who is almost old enough to be their father. And those who need a different Balance for whatever reason are likely native Hawaiian. I’m haole, why would they chose an outsider over someone who belongs?”
Grace frowned at him, and something rushed over her face Danny had never seen before. “It’s not as if Uncle Steve minds. He’s cool, and he thinks you’re awesome.” She blinked and then grinned at him. “I don’t think your perfect Gifted will reject you for not being Hawaiian. The matchings today are more accurate than ever. If you’re a match, you’re a match. It hardly matters what gender or ethnic background you have. Whoever your Gifted is, they’ll fit you.
Something twisted in Danny’s gut.
“Grace, when the doctors from the IMC talked to you alone, did they say what they think your Gift will be? Anything at all that would give you a clue what to expect?” It was unlikely but not entirely impossible. Maybe they had managed to prepare his daughter somehow …
“No, of course not.” Grace sounded slightly scandalized. “They’re not allowed to test me for that. It’s against the law. Why?”
“No reason, monkey. Don’t worry about it.” Danny didn’t need to tell her about her slip up, and the fact that he had just realized that he was raising a Precog. The knowledge settled like lead in his stomach; the implications of what she would become were so immense. Not seventy years ago she would have been taken from him and forced into Government ‘employment’ after having been force-bonded to a predetermined Balance who had been raised to fit her needs.
“No, I want to know. You can tell me. Honest. I wanna know why you asked.” She sounded a little stubborn and a lot determined now.
Danny sighed. “Who’s Uncle Steve, Grace?”
For a moment Grace just looked at him, a confused expression on her face. “I don’t know…” she finally said with an uncertain tone in her voice. “Or maybe I do. I’m not sure. I thought…” She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “How can I remember him, but not remember him? It makes no sense. Every time I try to focus on him, the memory seems to slip away. What’s going on, Danno?”
She didn’t sound like the confident thirteen year old she had been five minutes ago.
“I think you had your very first vision, monkey,” Danny replied softly.
Grace blanched. “I’m a Precog?” she asked. The history lessons she’d had were clearly at the forefront of her mind.
“Looks like it. But that’s not a bad thing, Grace. Look at it this way: without you I wouldn’t have known that I’ll get an awesome Gifted again. I’m not sure I would really have volunteered again. But now that you talked about your ‘Uncle Steve’, I just might. I want to meet him. And you said it yourself: today the matchings are pretty accurate. I’m sure you’ll find a great Balance when the time is right.” He hugged her, and Grace seemed to relax in increments.
“So you’ll go and volunteer again?” she asked, looking up at him with big, pleading eyes.
Danny sighed. His daughter had seen a future for him with a new Gifted and she seemed to think it was a happy one. Might as well take the chance.
“Yeah, I will, monkey. I’ll volunteer again.”
Danny sat down at the bar, wondering what devil had possessed him to agree to a matching appointment just two days before Christmas. The IMC had contacted him, and said they had a match, and that the Gifted had agreed to a meeting. They hadn’t provided a name or picture due to some security concerns regarding the Gifted, but Danny was curious if he would be meeting ‘Uncle Steve’ the following day.
The bar wasn’t packed, just a few people drinking in solitude, likely trying to drown some sort of pre-Christmas blues. Next to him a guy slipped onto a barstool and ordered a Whiskey neat, and Danny couldn’t help but notice the mechanical suppressor that was wrapped around his left wrist. He was a Gifted then. It didn’t come as a complete surprise, seeing that the IMC headquarters weren’t that far away and they were constantly scheduling meetings.
To his great surprise, the guy knocked back his Whiskey as soon as the bartender put it in front of him and then asked for another. Any other time Danny would have let it go, thinking that it was none of his damn business. But this was a Gifted. A Gifted wearing a suppressor. He was most likely more vulnerable in his current state than he was aware of.
Danny threw the guy a glance, noticing the dark shadows under his eyes. He was very attractive, but Danny could definitely see the strain on him. It didn’t matter what kind of Gifted this man was, he looked like he was miserable and Danny was suddenly glad that he had agreed to volunteer again. At least his own Gifted, the one Grace had seen in her vision, would get to have a normal life again without any drugs or mechanical suppressors.
Watching the man beside him closely, the way he was gripping his Whiskey glass tightly, likely about to knock that one back, too, Danny decided to take action. It might get him punched in the face for his efforts, but he couldn’t watch this guy get wasted. “You sure you should be drinking that?” Danny asked in a low voice so only the man next to him could hear.
The guy turned to him, eyebrows raised, an incredulous look on his face. “What did you just say?”
Danny forced himself to stay calm. “I was wondering if it is a good idea for you to drink so much alcohol.” He gestured in the direction of the man’s suppressor. “This thing is screwing with the chemicals in your brain already. No need to make it worse with booze, right? I mean, even I know that suppressors and alcohol are a really bad combination.”
The guy’s brows knit together, mouth forming a tight line. He glared at Danny but still Danny couldn’t help to notice how attractive he was, exhaustion or not.
“Listen, buddy, I don’t know what your problem is, but whether I drink or not is none of your damn business. So why don’t you leave me the hell alone?” His tone was hostile, his eyes hard with anger and mistrust, his whole body tense as if he was anticipating a fight. This guy was volatile, no doubt about it.
“Whoa, easy babe.” Danny moved back slightly, hands up in a placating manner. Maybe if the guy recognized Danny didn’t mean him any harm, he would back off. “I was just worried about you, all right? No need to go all evil overlord on me. How about we forget I said anything and you go back to killing your brain cells with booze?”
The guy turned away deliberately and Danny let out the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. He wasn’t keen on having a bar fight. It wasn’t that he couldn’t hold his own – he was a cop, after all – but it was the fact that it was stupid and cliché. Danny decided to ignore the guy for the rest of the night and picked up his beer glass. He didn’t want to risk drinking anything stronger, not when he had an appointment with the IMC the following day.
Just when Danny had lifted his glass to drink, someone bumped into him from behind, stumbling drunkenly. The beer sloshed out of the still mostly full glass and hit the shirt of the guy sitting next to him. “Crap,” Danny cursed under his breath, and after a quick glance towards the drunk who had managed to make his way to the exit, Danny concentrated on the man next to him.
“I’m sorry,” Danny apologized, and grabbed the wad of napkins the bartender had set down in front of them. “Here, let me help.” Danny intended to just assist the guy in getting rid of the beer from his arms and shirt sleeves, but then the man moved and the back of Danny’s hand brushed against the guy’s bare forearms.
Danny jerked away, staring at the Gifted in shock. Touching his skin had felt like grabbing a live-wire. It rattled Danny to the bones, his skin tingling where it had come in contact with the Gifted. This shouldn’t be happening. Not with the Gifted wearing a suppressor. He shouldn’t be able to feel much of anything unless they were an extremely promising match. Then realization dawned. Danny wasn’t a detective for nothing; he could add up all the clues and come to the right conclusion: this was ‘Uncle Steve’.
Beside him Steve stared at Danny with a look of dawning horror on his face. He sighed, and dropped the napkins he’d picked up back onto the bar, focusing his attention completely on Danny. “Let me guess,” he drawled. “You’re Daniel Williams. You have an appointment with the IMC, tomorrow at noon, because they told you that you are a perfect match for a Gifted in need of a new Balance.” There was a resigned undertone in his voice Danny didn’t like at all.
“Got it in one, babe,” Danny replied with a small smile, deciding to get to the root of the problem later. For now, they needed to talk somewhere private. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and threw a couple of bills onto the bar – enough to cover his own beer and Steve’s drinks. Steve obviously wanted to protest, but Danny prevented it by saying, “Come on, Steve. Let’s get out of here. I think we need to talk.”
“How do you know my name?” Steve asked as soon as they were away from the bar. “I know that the IMC only sent my matching results to you and not my name or anything else that would give my identity away. So how do you know who I am?”
“Long story, babe. Let’s find a place to talk first and I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Come on.” Williams made a grab for Steve’s wrist but Steve avoided him. The short skin on skin contact had shaken him enough to know that they needed to talk first before they touched again.
“Over there,” Steve said and pointed at Kalama Beach Park that was right across the street of the bar. “We should be able to find a spot where we can sit and talk without anyone disturbing us.” Steve didn’t wait for Williams to answer; he just walked towards the picnic tables that could be seen in the distance.
It only took a moment until they reached one of the picnic tables, settled in a more secluded area of the park. Steve sat down and watched Williams do the same, opposite of him. Even though Steve was usually good at reading people, he had a hard time figuring out what was going on in Williams’ head. But then again, he hadn’t been able to use his gift for a while, maybe he was losing his touch.
“We’re alone, now talk. You called me ‘Steve’; how did you know my name?” Steve didn’t know why he couldn’t keep from sounding hostile, but it made him nervous when he didn’t have all the facts. And since he couldn’t use his gift he had no way of knowing if he was being lied to, and that was something Steve just wasn’t ever going to get used to. Fucking suppressor.
Williams smiled at him, apparently completely unfazed by Steve’s behavior. “My daughter told me that I would find another Gifted. She said that ‘Uncle Steve’ wouldn’t mind me being haole and that he’s cool, and he thinks you’re awesome. That was a direct quote, by the way. So yeah, when we touched it felt like I’ve been zapped even though you’re wearing a suppressor. I was pretty sure I had just met ‘Uncle Steve’. Your matching file really didn’t give away anything at all. I mean, sure, I know they don’t send pictures in those files, but with you I didn’t even get a name. That was harsh, babe.”
“It was a necessary precaution. Most information about my life is classified. You would have gotten all relevant information tomorrow at the IMC. I know I can’t expect you to agree to a bonding without you knowing everything there is to know, going in. I just want to say that, perfect match or not, I won’t try to pressure you. We’ve both lost a bond-mate already; I’m not planning on losing another if this doesn’t work out.” Steve tried to keep his voice neutral, but wasn’t sure he was succeeding. It was true, he needed a new Balance, desperately, but he wouldn’t risk ruining Williams’ life over it.
“I’m not worried, babe. We’re a perfect match. I doubt that there is anything in your life that would make me reconsider. That doesn’t mean I’m not curious. You can tell me the important stuff now and we can take it from there. No time like the present, right?” Williams grinned and he looked so relaxed and laid back that it threw Steve for a loop. Was this guy for real?
Steve frowned. “Is this because of what your daughter – Grace is it? – said? Because she is what? A Precog? That wasn’t in the file, by the way. It’s interesting though. Her saying those things at just the right time.Or isn’t this a coincidence at all, Detective Williams? Did you somehow plan for this meeting?Did you have me followed so you could ‘accidentally’ meet me at that bar? What is it you want?”
Williams pursed his lips and studied Steve for a moment. It was a strange feeling and one that Steve didn’t like at all. “What I want is to help you lead the life you were supposed to lead. By being your Balance. But you’re awfully suspicious, babe. I don’t have ulterior motives. I don’t have some elaborate plan to trick you into anything at all. Yes, Grace is a Precog and yes, it is because of what she said that I decided to volunteer again. So you better not talk that way about my baby girl. That’s one thing I won’t tolerate, you got me, Steve?”
The speech was delivered in a calm, even tone that took Steve by surprise. He just couldn’t figure this man out. With all the information he had been given about Detective Daniel Williams, it should be easy for Steve to read him, to connect to him. But for some reason it wasn’t. If this was the person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, bonded to, relying on, he needed to get a better grip on who this guy was. He was … unsettling.
“Look, Steve, I know this situation has to be very uncomfortable for you with your gift locked down, I get that. But you have to trust me at least a little, okay? How about a proper introduction? I’ll go first. My name is Danny Williams, I’m thirty-eight, born and raised in-”
“New Jersey,” Steve cut him off. “You were matched and bonded when you were eighteen years old. Your Gifted was a woman named Grace Tillwell. You attended the Police Academy together and joined the force where she was killed during an op gone wrong, making you a widower at the age of twenty-three. You met Rachel, married her and had a child together in quick succession over the course of the next two years. The marriage fell apart six years later and Rachel remarried and took your daughter, Grace, who was probably named after your late Gifted, to Hawaii. You followed to be near your daughter and have been working for HPD ever since.” Steve recited, careful to keep any emotion out of his voice.
Williams looked at Steve thoughtfully and then pinched his nose as if to stave off a headache. “You’re doing this on purpose, babe, aren’t you?” There was a hint of exasperation in his voice now and Steve didn’t like it one bit. “You’re determined to make this as difficult as possible when all I am trying to do is make your life easier. Why are you so hell bent on not trusting me? Why are you so determined to make me angry at you? Are you trying to sabotage yourself here? Is that it?” Curiosity now,and something else Steve couldn’t name. It was so frustrating that Steve couldn’t tell if Williams was being genuine and honest. God, how he missed his gift.
“I don’t trust you because I don’t know you. And I was trying to make you angry because anger is honest. Anger makes people forget to lie. And I can’t tell if you’re being honest with me right now. I can’t-”
“You’re a Veritat.” Williams interrupted him and there was something akin to compassion in his voice now. “No wonder you’re so mistrustful. They switched off your one requirement for trusting people: your certainty that you are not being lied to. I don’t see how this is gonna work out, babe, without you trusting me enough to consider a bonding, though. Cause I gotta tell you, Steve, assuring you I have no ulterior motives is about the best I can do. It’s not as if I can prove it otherwise.”
“I know,” Steve admitted, feeling uneasy with the turn of topic. “I want to trust you. We’re a perfect match. We should … click. To be fair, I’ve been this … miserable ever since they fitted me with this.” He held up his left hand, indicating the suppressor. “It’s not you. It’s me being paranoid.”
“Not paranoid, Steve. Just temporarily robbed of one of your senses so to speak.” Williams sighed and rubbed his neck. “All right, how about I ask you a few questions, since you know so much more about me than I know about you. And if we think we’re compatible, we agree on bonding. Would that work for you?” He seemed to be sincere, which took Steve by surprise.
“What are you getting out of that?” he asked, because really, it didn’t make much sense to Steve just yet. His first Balance Catherine, had only volunteered because it had been expected of her. They’d been a mediocre match and not even the physical intimacy that they had still shared in the beginning of their time together had concealed the fact that they had very little in common besides a military background. Steve had cared for her, yes, but their relationship had not been anywhere near perfect. Apparently even working bonds didn’t guarantee happiness.
Williams looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he took a deep breath and said, “I get to be part of a whole again. After Grace died, I felt lost. We’d been a great match and I loved her so much that I felt as if part of me had been ripped away when she was killed. Rachel … Rachel was a rebound thing; it was me needing closeness and the sort of stability I thought only a relationship could give me.”
He hesitated, apparently unsure how to proceed.“By the time both of us realized that I would never get back what I had lost with someone not gifted and she felt like she could never live up to Grace’s memory, we were married and parents to a little girl. I never thought I wanted to bond again, never wanted to risk losing another life-mate, but when Grace told me about her ‘Uncle Steve’, I thought maybe I could get another chance. I can end your misery and I can be part of something bigger, something more meaningful than what I am now. It sounds stupid and idealistic, I know, but what I had with Grace was good, real good, and I think you and I, we could be good together, too.”
“Go ahead, ask your questions,” Steve said after a moment. Whatever Williams had intended with sharing this story, it seemed to work. Steve could feel himself reacting to his apparent honesty, the willingness to be vulnerable. He wanted to make things right for Danny, wanted to be the Gifted Danny would want, the one he deserved to have. It wasn’t a feeling Steve was familiar with.
Danny smiled. “You could start by telling me your full name. And you could give me the abridged version of your life so far. No details necessary; I already know a lot of it is classified, which makes me think you’re military. Am I right?”
Steve nodded, once. “Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett and yes, I’m a Navy SEAL. I recently joined the reserves though. I’m thirty-eight, just like you. After graduating from Annapolis I served six years with the SEALs before transferring to Naval Intelligence. As you said, most of what I did is classified. You’ll probably be asked to sign a couple of non-disclosure agreements after we’ve bonded. My only living relative is a younger sister. Her name is Mary. And before you ask: Balances and Gifted are equals in my book.”
Steve thought it was important he made himself absolutely clear so that Danny wouldn’t have any reason to reconsider his willingness to bond.“I won’t have any of that ‘Gifted are superior’ crap some stuck-up assholes still have going on.If anything, I figure we have to be damn grateful for you guys because, obviously, without you, we’re miserable.” Steve held up his wrist again for good measure.
“I’m going to do my best to treat your daughter as if she were my own. I’m probably going to be protective of her, seeing she is your child and a fellow Gifted. I would prefer that both of us live in my house, if possible, and I hope you might consider joining the new task force the Governor asked me to lead. But I think we’ll figure out the finer details of our joint lives in good time.”
These negotiations would have happened at the IMC, had they done this properly and waited until their appointment the following day. Since they hadn’t, Steve figured that he should put it all on the table and see what happened.
“You’re John McGarrett’s son,” Danny said, to Steve’s surprise. “I heard what happened; it almost ended up being my case. I’m really sorry about your father. And I think I can agree to all of your ideas – I don’t mind living with you, and me joining the task force makes sense so we can work together. We’ll figure it out, babe, I’m sure.”
“You are willing to bond, then?” Steve asked. It was ridiculous how much hinged on that question for him. An hour ago he’d dreaded the appointment at the IMC, had thought it to be a necessary evil to get rid of his suppressor and have a real life again. But now he wasn’t so sure if Daniel Williams wouldn’t turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to him.
“One more question, Steve, and then I’ll make my decision. You and I, we’ve both been bonded to a woman. I know it’s not a problem for me, being bonded to a man, but you’re military. Will you be comfortable with the intimacy a bond with another male will bring? I don’t want to ruin that perfect bonding when it turns out I have the wrong equipment for you.”
Steve was surprised that Danny even mentioned it. Most Gifted and Balances didn’t have any gender preferences when it came to their partners, but Steve supposed it could pose a problem if someone was completely averse to the idea of sharing the bed with a person of the same gender.
“Not a problem.” Steve said and watched Danny closely. “Does that mean we can bond?” He was getting desperate, uneasiness settling into his bones with a potential new Balance within reach. A perfect match; someone who would complete him in a way even Catherine hadn’t been able to. Steve knew exactly what Danny had meant when he said that the touch they had shared had felt like being zapped. Their bond was going to be amazing.
Danny laughed. “Yes, as soon as you get rid of that suppressor and can actually enter a bond, that’s what we’ll do. The IMC should have all the relevant papers regarding our bonding and legal status. Looks like we’ll be able to get this thing started even before Christmas.”
Steve had no intention to wait until their appointment at the IMC to get rid of the suppressor. He had Danny within arm’s reach. He wasn’t gonna let him get away again; wasn’t going to spend a minute more than he had to being switched off, useless and miserable.
Predictably, a frown appeared on Danny’s face when Steve reached down to his own ankle and took out the knife he had hidden there in a sheath. Without hesitation, Steve put the blade to the closing mechanism of his suppressor and started to pry the device open.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you crazy? Stop that, you’re gonna hurt yourself!” Danny made to reach over and stop Steve from opening the suppressor, but with a decisive push and a slight twist, Steve broke the locking mechanism and the suppressor snapped open.
Steve hissed as the four delicate spikes that had been embedded in his wrist came free, the puncture wounds bleeding sluggishly. If the device had been removed properly, the spikes would have retracted before the closing mechanism was released. Not that it mattered to Steve. He’d take a sore wrist over being ‘switched off’ any day.
“You really have no sense of self-preservation, do you?” Daniel asked and there was disapproval in his voice.
“This is nothing,” Steve said, and he meant it. He’d been tortured, shot, stabbed and almost beaten to death. Getting rid of a piece of metal that was preventing him from using his Gift was nothing compared to the things he had gone through in the past. Wearing it, however, had affected him more than any of the other situations put together.
“Oh, it’s nothing that you just ripped off the device that is affecting your brain functions, clearly, that’s no big deal. Not at all. What the hell were you thinking? You can’t just do stuff like that. It’s dangerous.”
“I honestly don’t care. I needed this off. And you agreed to bonding. It was the obvious solution. Now, let’s go someplace else. As much as want to be bonded, I’m not prepared to do it out in the open in a public park. I assume you’ll be more comfortable in your own hotel room. Lead the way.” Steve knew he was sounding a little more desperate, and probably even defensive, than he strictly liked, but with the suppressor off he could feel his Gift at the tips of his fingers, and more importantly he could feel the thrum of excitement at the prospect of a new bond.
Danny looked at him incredulously. “What? We’re just gonna go to my hotel room and bond? Just like that? That’s your big plan? You do know that usually the paperwork comes first.And an evaluation of the prospective bond. And you know,the psych evaluation? You’re just gonna skip it all? This is exactly why you should have waited until tomorrow when the nice doctor at the IMC would have taken off the suppressor properly and given the go ahead for our bonding. There could be all kinds of complications lying ahead. You’re taking an enormous risk here.”
Steve suppressed a sigh. “We’re a perfect match, Danny. Your own daughter saw us bonded and happy together. I trust the vision of a Precog and from what you told me, so do you. So, we can go to your hotel room and complete the mental component of the bond, maybe even have spectacular sex if we feel up to it afterwards. Or we can go to your hotel room and you can watch me be miserable and probably get sick while we wait for our appointment and then we will bond anyway before we go find a bed and fuck each other’s brains out. So what will it be?”
“As if I would do anything that could harm you,” Danny snapped. He looked angry and was glaring at Steve in a very disturbing way. Steve hoped he hadn’t gone too far and Danny would still be willing to go through with the bonding.
“I can’t believe that I’m about to bond to an adrenaline junkie who has the self-preservation of a gnat and the patience of a two year old. Seriously, why does it always have to be me who attracts the nut jobs? This is gonna be my life, isn’t it? You, doing whatever you please without considering for one second the consequences for the people around you, or yourself. And I have to stand by and watch you being reckless and inconsiderate. That’s just fucking great, babe. Just what I expected my Gifted to be.”
He got up and threw Steve a look that was downright livid before he started to walk away, muttering under his breath about blackmailing thirteen year olds and SEALS with more brawn than brains. Steve grinned and followed him. This bond was going to be a lot more interesting than he had first anticipated.
Danny woke in an unfamiliar bed, a warm arm wrapped around his waist from behind, a large, decidedly male body pressed up against his back. After a moment of confusion memories started to filter back in: his hotel room, bonding, heated kisses, Steve enthusiastically fucking Danny through the mattress and Danny happily returning the favor. All things considered, the last twelve hours or so had been beyond crazy.
“You’re finally awake,” Steve murmured next to Danny’s ear and his breath ghosted over Danny’s skin, making it tingle.
“Yeah well, what can I say, I need my beauty sleep. Besides, I know for certain you’ve not been awake for long either. The bond would have told me. It didn’t, so you’ve been lazy and slept in as well, Mr. Super-SEAL.”
“Stop calling me that, you’ll give me a complex. And I’m not lazy. I’m enjoying some downtime with my new Balance. He’s pretty hot, you know.” Steve’s voice was entirely too distracting and the way his hands began to wander over Danny’s stomach and thighs did nothing to keep Danny level-headed.
“Is he now?” Danny asked, the bond thrumming between them in new and exciting ways. This was what he’d been missing ever since Grace had died. This was what Rachel wouldn’t have been able to give him in a million years – the mental connection to a Gifted. It was intimate in a way that was hard to describe, yet empowering rather than debilitating. “Flattery will get you exactly nowhere, Steve. We still have to face the people at the IMC later, and I can tell you already, they will not be happy with us.” Danny’s voice wavered as Steve licked and nipped along his stubbly jawline and down to the crook of his neck.
“Naw, I know my case worker really well. Anuhea won’t be too mad at me for being … impulsive. We’ll sign the paperwork and be on our way before you know it. I can’t wait to meet Grace. You should probably call Rachel and let her know we’ve bonded.”
Steve’s voice was casual, lazy even as his hand wrapped around Danny’s cock. Danny gasped and all thoughts fled him as he sank deeper into his bond with Steve and the intense pleasure that spread between them. His skin tingled and the dual sensations of being embraced by Steve’s mind as well as his body were the most comfort Danny had known in what felt like forever. Danny let go and allowed Steve to take the lead, safe in his Gifted’s capable hands.
They were late for their appointment at the IMC.
“Danno! Uncle Steve! You’re home!” Grace was up from the couch and across the room before Danny had stepped through the door completely. She wrapped him in a tight embrace before she turned to Steve and hugged him just as hard. She acted as if she had known him forever and the fact that she probably felt like she did sent a shiver down Danny’s spine. This would take some getting used to. But the wave of reassurance and support that traveled along the bond calmed him a little. He wouldn’t have to do it alone. Steve would be there and he was a Gifted, too. It occurred to Danny that Steve might actually understand his daughter better than Rachel ever would. It was a sad thought.
“It’s good to meet you, Grace,” Steve said with a smile, and he sounded warm and welcoming. “Danny told me so much about you already.”
“And Grace has talked about nothing but you,” Rachel said from the door to the kitchen. She waited until Grace let go of Steve and they could actually step into the house properly, before she came over and offered Steve a hand. “Hi, I’m Rachel Edwards, Grace’s mother. And you must be the famous ‘Uncle Steve’, Daniel’s new Gifted. Congratulations, I’m very happy for you both. It’s good to know Daniel has found someone who can give him what I couldn’t.” Rachel sounded friendly and sincere, and Danny released the breath he hadn’t been aware he had been holding. Of course he hadn’t expected Rachel to act hostile in any way, especially not with Grace present, but it was clear that she truly was pleased with the outcome of events.
“I’m glad to have found Danny. I was in a really bad place before he agreed to bond with me, so I guess I have your daughter to thank for blackmailing him into agreeing to another matching.” Steve grinned cheekily and Rachel cast a scandalized look at Grace.
“You blackmailed your father into agreeing to another matching? Just because you had a vision of him and Steve?” Rachel sounded horrified.
“Not just any vision, but one of them being truly happy. That has to count for something, right? I’m a Precog, we’re always right.” Grace grinned at them, completely unfazed by her mother’s ire.
Rachel sighed. “She’s been like this since you left for your IMC appointment. She wouldn’t stop talking about ‘Uncle Steve’ and the house and the beach and how Steve is going to go surfing with her. She even started packing up her room here because she’s sure you’re moving.” Rachel looked between Danny and Steve as if she expected them to deny it and prove their daughter wrong.
“She’s right,” Steve said and wrapped and arm around Danny from behind as if in support. “Danny agreed to move in with me. I have a big house on the beach and more than enough room for him and Grace. I know you have shared custody of Grace, and you’re welcome at our home any time. We’ve already taken care of the legal part and Danny is of course being recognized as my life-partner. I hope that once we have gotten to know each other a bit, I can add Grace to my family officially, too. It wouldn’t touch your or Danny’s status at all. I’d just be an addition.”
Rachel looked startled for a second. “I’ll do what’s best for Grace. We’ll talk about this again in a couple weeks I think. And now I have to go.” She picked up her purse and kissed first Grace’s cheek and then Danny’s.
“Stan is taking me to a Spa over Christmas. I expect the three of you for dinner on the 26th. You can tell me all about your bonding then.” She smiled and, to Danny’s complete surprise, hugged Steve. “Welcome to the family, Steve. I hope you know what you’ve gotten into.”
“I think that’s his line. I’m sure I’m not prepared for what I’m in with him,” Danny said.
Steve, Grace and Rachel all laughed.
“It’s gonna be fine, Danno,” Grace said and hugged him. “Trust me, I’m a Precog.”
Later, when Danny found himself on the couch between Steve and his daughter, a bowl of popcorn on his lap, watching a movie and content in a way he hadn’t been in a very long time, Danny thought that Grace had been right. Agreeing to another matching really had been the best decision of his life.
Then again, she was a Precog, and everyone knew that they were always right.