Danny was worried about Steve. It seemed like he spent half his life worrying about his partner's wellbeing these days, especially after having to fly to Afghanistan and bully a military team into rescuing the man from terrorists about to try and behead him.

Steve hadn't really been the same since. He was withdrawn and tense a lot of the time, and Danny got the impression he was pissed off with Catherine, not that he would admit it; that anger was being hidden under the guise of 'she was fulfilling her mission, she did the right thing'.

Well, that was a pile of shit in Danny's personal opinion, not that he would say as much to Steve. Yeah, he wasn't trained Navy like them, hadn't had the be-the-mission-complete-the-mission mentality beaten into him; but there was no scenario, no circumstances on this earth, where he could see himself leaving a friend behind in enemy territory, in the hands of the bad guys. Especially not if that friend was Steve.

He had been doing his best to help lighten Steve's mood, get him to come out with the team more and not hole himself up inside his house. Danny could see what he was doing, and he wasn't about to let Steve wallow.

So when Rachel asked if he wanted to come to a July 4th celebration on Waikiki beach with Grace, Stan and Charlie, he had jumped at the chance to see his daughter and have her on his shoulders while they watched fireworks. After replying to Rachel's text saying he would be there, the first thing he'd done was message his partner and ask him to come along. He'd even used the 'Grace wants to see her Uncle Steve' line, so when he'd got a reply saying Steve wasn't feeling up to it, it had confused him.

Steve could never resist spending time with Gracie, it was a proven fact. Something was definitely wrong.

He found he couldn't really concentrate at the beach party, and every time he wasn't talking to Grace or Rachel, he was thinking about Steve.

Some particularly large bangs were going off overhead, and Grace was 'oooh'ing and 'ahhh'ing on his shoulders, and he took a moment to pull his phone from his pocket.

-It's only just underway, partner. Sure you're not coming out?

It took a few minutes before he received a return text.

-I'm fine, Danno. Just gonna stay in. Have fun.

He shook his head to himself. Why Steve would ever want to stay in, even maybe to watch the celebrations from his lanai, confounded him. He'd at least thought the guy might invite them over to celebrate there. It was very un-Steve.

The next couple of hours went past quickly, with Danny only checking his phone every ten minutes or so to see if Steve had changed his mind. By the time ten o'clock rolled around and Rachel announced it was Grace's bedtime and well past Charlie's, Danny had already decided where he was going next.

He gave Grace a hug and kiss goodbye, said goodbye to Rachel and Stan and their son, even though the kid was asleep in his pushchair. How young children could sleep through all this noise, he'd never know.

He saw them off home, and then climbed into his Camaro and headed straight for Steve's, only stopping to pick up a six pack of his friend's favourite beer on the way. He saw it as part of his role as best friend to look after his partner, make sure he was okay, and he wasn't going to drop this tonight.

When he pulled up outside Steve's house, some of his neighbours were letting off fireworks in a nearby garden, having their own private display. All of Steve's curtains and blinds were drawn, not a single light on within the property, and Danny frowned. Steve couldn't possibly be sleeping through this?

He tried the front door, only to find it locked. Now that was weird. Steve had said he was home, and he only ever locked up when he went to bed. Danny made his way around the side of the house to the lanai, trying the double doors there. Locked again.

His concern got the better of him, and he dug the spare key out of the little box where Steve had it hidden in the sand near the railing. He'd made it his business to know where it was, just in case, and he was glad he had.

He opened the lanai door and walked into the dark kitchen, only moonlight and bright flashes from the fireworks helping him navigate around the table. He placed the Longboards down on the side and reached the doorway into the living room.

"Steve?" he called out, "Babe, you here?"

He flicked the kitchen light on so he could see a little way into the living room and took a step forward, beginning to wonder if Steve had maybe gone out and not told him, and he went to pull his phone out again as a fresh barrage of fireworks exploded nearby.

"Get down!"

He was knocked off his feet by a solid force of nature, and barely had time to yell out before his head hit the floor and a heavy body laid itself over his.

All Steve knew was that there was a man in danger. Explosives were going off all around them in the battlefield, and he had to protect this civilian from getting hurt. He covered the man's body with his own until the bombs stopped going off.

Danny's dazed mind took a moment to focus, and he looked up to find himself gazing into Steve's panicked hazel-grey eyes.

"Steve? What th-"

Steve had to get himself and the civilian to safety, so he clambered up off the floor and took hold of the guy.

Danny's wrist was grabbed and he was hauled up off his ass, dropping his phone in the process, before being dragged across the front room. As they were passing the bottom of the stairs, he finally gained the wherewithal to fight back.

"What the hell are you doing?" he dug his heels in as best he could on the wooden floor and tried to snatch his wrist from Steve's grip, but the SEAL only squeezed tighter until it felt like his bones would snap. "Steve, you're hurting me!"

That finally drew the brunette's attention back to his face, and he stumbled a little and stared at his partner with wide eyes.

Recognition briefly fluttered through Steve's mind, a voice telling him he was hurting someone he loved, that something was terribly wrong. He couldn't tell the difference anymore between reality and dream, and the confusion made him even more frustrated.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Steve shouted at Danny, seemingly terrified. Some more loud bangs and flashes went off, and he flinched and tugged Danny closer to him as he growled, "You're gonna get us killed!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danny yelled above the noise, frowning when Steve's unfocused eyes darted around the room. "Steve, what's wrong?"

"We need cover," Steve pulled on the other man's arm again and tried to haul him towards the dugout where they could hide from the bombs, formulate a new plan.

Danny was heaved towards the couch, which had been pulled out from the wall haphazardly, but he fought back, putting his hands up to his friend's face and pulling him back around to face him.

"Steve, look at me!"

The brunette took hold of his other wrist, but his eyes finally locked with Danny's. He was sweating, jittery, practically vibrating under the blonde's hands.

"Babe, look at me. It's Danny, it's me, come on," he said firmly, "You're safe!"

Steve was having a flashback, he could see that now. The speed of his breathing and the fear in his eyes spiked Danny's own anxiety, because he'd never once seen Steve like this. He was always cool, calm, SuperSEAL Steve with the thousand yard stare and military precision moves, but right now he was more like a vulnerable new recruit, fearing for his life.

Steve stared into the eyes of the man he was trying to rescue, wondering why he didn't want to run from the war raging around them. His eyes were blue, almost grey, like steel or ice... and there was something so familiar about them.

He immediately knew he could trust this man, but more than that; he was important, he meant something to Steve. He was warmth and hope, laughter and family... Love.

"D-Danny?" He blinked and creased his brow, his eyes sweeping up and down his friend's body and focusing back on his eyes, "What- what are you doing here?"

What was Danny doing in the middle of all this? And why wasn't he scared? Had he come to save Steve once more? Just like Korea and Afghanistan, he had followed him into trouble again so he could pluck him from danger and take him home?

"I came to check on you babe, I was worried. Good thing I did..." Danny ran a thumb over the taller man's cheekbone to soothe him.

Steve looked around them again, finally taking in his surroundings properly. They were in his living room, soft light filtering in through from the kitchen, but there were bangs and flashes outside in the distance, and some closer by and louder.

The last thing the SEAL remembered was sitting on his couch, drinking whisky and hoping this night would end soon. Danny had texted him, asked him to come out, but if he didn't even feel safe in his own home with the noises outside, how ever would he cope in a crowded environment?

He had declined the invitation when all he'd really wanted to do was tell his partner he needed him there. He couldn't keep him from his family time though, that would be wrong. So he'd stayed at home, on his own, and that's when the loudest and brightest fireworks had exploded overhead. That was when he had been triggered. Everything after that was blackness and fear.

Danny realised Steve hadn't thought they were in his house, but in some war zone somewhere, and his breathing was starting to slow as reality came back into being for him.

"But I... I was..." Steve squeezed his eyes shut and turned back to his partner, "Danny, I-"

His sentence was cut short by another series of explosions outside, and his loosening grip on Danny's wrist tightened again.

"Hey hey hey, look at me. Look at me, Steve. You're safe, they're just fireworks! We're in your house, we're home. I'm here, you're safe." The detective held his friend's gaze and threw all the belief and certainty he could muster into his voice and his eyes.

Steve knew in that moment that he could believe every word that came out of that beautiful man's mouth. Even though every fibre of his being was currently telling him to run, hide, that he was in danger... Danny was telling him the opposite. And he would trust Danny over his own mind any day.

"Safe," Steve repeated slowly, and then again more firmly, "Safe... Danny, god," he finally let go of the Jersey man's arms and wrapped himself around Danny's body, pulling him tightly into a desperate hug. "Fuck, I don't know... I don't know what came over me..."

"It's okay babe," Danny rubbed big circles onto Steve's overheated back, "You're alright."

It shocked him to feel the other man tremble under his touch. He had known that Steve had his demons, that he suffered from something like PTSD, had nights where he didn't sleep, but if Steve McGarrett didn't want help, no one could force it on him. He'd had no idea it was this bad, though, or maybe he would have done something about it earlier.

Tonight's celebrations must have been too much for him to handle, especially so soon after Afghanistan and the trauma he had been through there. Things were too fresh, too close to the surface.

He was hugged in even closer. "I am now you're here," the taller man sighed against his neck and sent a shiver down Danny's spine, "How come you're always there to help me, Danny, huh? Every time I need you, there you are... you never abandon me..."

"Never, babe," Danny affirmed, "You know that." He meant every word; he just wished that Steve had talked to him about this earlier so that he could have been there for him through his own personal battles.

"I do," Steve pulled back again and placed his hands on Danny's biceps, "I do know that..."

This man had rescued Steve so many times, more than he could count. Not only by tracking him halfway across the planet and bringing him home – twice now – but in so many other ways. Danny never gave up on him. He had stayed in Hawaii to prove his friend's innocence when Steve had been locked up for supposedly killing the governor. He had given Steve a family and a deep, unerring, profound friendship, one that Steve couldn't even begin to fathom the depths of. He was the one who argued Steve down and didn't just let him have his way, always getting up in his face to make him think twice about what he was doing, try to stop him from doing something stupid. He didn't always win, sometimes Steve was too stubborn, but he never stopped trying. Not once.

He knew it now, he understood, that Danny was the one stalwart thing in his life. While others abandoned him, walked away and left him on his own, Danny was always there to pick up the pieces.

They met one another's gaze again in the half-darkness, and Danny felt for a long moment like he'd stopped breathing – maybe he had – because Steve's eyes were so clear and earnest, full of pain and unsure, but layered over that there was belief; pure, unadulterated faith.

"You'll always be there, won't you," Steve whispered, and it was less a question and more a statement of fact. This time when a series of fireworks went off outside the window in quick succession, he barely even blinked. His strong hands had moved up from Danny's shoulders to his neck, fingers curling at the back of his head, and the cop didn't even remember feeling them move.

Danny nodded gently and swallowed, never breaking that solid gaze. "Always."

Suddenly Steve's lips were on his, soft and velvet and intense, and the blonde slammed his eyes shut automatically. He was so taken aback at the surprise kiss that it took him a second to respond in any fashion other than simply not fighting him off. By the time his brain was engaging with what was actually happening, Steve was beginning to pull away again.

The Navy man was just beginning to realise himself what he had done. He'd let his subconscious mind make the decision before he even knew he'd given up the control, and now his lips were on Danny's and the blonde wasn't kissing him back.

What had he done?

"Danny, I'm s-"

The cop's own hands darted up from where they had been hanging uselessly at his sides and he slid them into his partner's hair, bringing him back so their lips could meet again, and this time he opened his mouth against Steve's to encourage him to do the same.

Steve's heart skipped a beat when he realised that Danny was now being the one to kiss him, bringing them back together when he had backed away, and it felt unbelievable.

Their tongues tangled and the kiss turned electric, both men gripping at one another wherever they could find purchase; Danny wrapped his arms around Steve's neck and wound his fingers into his hair, while the brunette's hands snatched at Danny's t-shirt and twisted tightly into the fabric, crushing their bodies against one another.

The noise and lights outside were forgotten to them, the rest of the world fell away and nothing mattered anymore, because they were connected at the mouth and finally, finally, giving in to that sexual tension that had always been there between them.

Steve moaned against his partner and turned them, backing Danny into the wall at the bottom of the stairs and deepening the kiss, nipping at the blonde's lips and pressing their hips together. Danny could feel the other man's arousal through their jeans, his own cock hardening in response, and he ground himself against his friend to let him know he felt the same way.

Holy shit, this gorgeous man, the man he'd loved for such a long time and had barely been able to admit that even to himself, wanted him. Steve wanted him, and that lit a fire in Danny's belly he'd never felt before, raw passion and excitement crackling along his nerve endings and pulsing through his veins. The sensible part of his brain, however, was telling him this was wrong.

Steve was vulnerable, damn it. Not minutes before he'd barely known where he was, scared out of his mind, PTSD scrambling his thoughts. If Danny let this continue, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

He broke the kiss and pushed at Steve's shoulders, though the SEAL didn't move away. They pressed their foreheads together, Danny's eyes still screwed shut, and they gasped in oxygen.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

Had he done something wrong? Had Danny not wanted this? But he'd kissed him back, so surely he had... Maybe he'd been too forceful, or perhaps his hard on had been too much, too soon?

"Steve, I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you..." Danny ran his hands nervously through his hair.

The brunette took a step backwards and let go of his clothing, hands hovering in mid air between them like he was unsure of how to proceed.

"Oh... no, Danny I'm sorry. I took advantage of you, I'm so sorry." Steve stepped back again, feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

Danny almost choked. "What? Wait, you? You think you took advantage of me? In what world... Steve, jeez! Look at you, look at the state you're in, and I just come in here and let you kiss me? No, god, that's-"

"You think I don't know exactly what I'm doing, Danny?" Steve interrupted him.

Dear God, Danny thought he'd done something wrong. But it had been Steve's decision, pure and simple. Maybe he hadn't been thinking one hundred per cent with fully functioning brain power, because he realised he virtually never did with Danny around confusing him with his mere presence, but it had been his choice, his actions.

"You were panicking, Steve," Danny insisted, guilt bubbling up in his stomach and making him feel ill.

"Was. Not anymore. You changed that," Steve took his shoulders again and made him look into his face. "This isn't just about tonight, Danno. I've wanted to do that for a long, long time, and I didn't have the courage, but... God, here you are! You're always here!"

Danny shook his head. "I don't understand..."

"Then let me explain," Steve stepped into him again, dipping down slowly and taking his lips in a slow, sweet kiss this time. "I know exactly what I'm doing," he breathed against Danny's cheek. He had to let him know that he had done nothing wrong. Danny would never hurt him, Steve knew that.

The blonde let his hands go to rest on his partner's waistband, feeling his resistance cracking. "Please don't hate me in the morning," he whispered.

"I couldn't ever hate you, Danno..."

Danny whined as Steve's tongue sought entry to his mouth again, and he opened to him and the gentle, languorous kiss that ensued. He huffed out hot air through his nose against Steve's cheek, and felt him shiver with want.

Strong hands shifted him away from the wall, and he was slowly backed up the stairs by insistent kissing and careful guidance. Whatever argument he'd had against what was happening drained away, and he couldn't for the life of him remember what it might have been.

He had wanted, needed, loved this man for so long, and if Steve said he knew what he was doing, he had to believe him. He let his partner take control, sensing that after the events of tonight he would need it, and knowing that it meant Steve could choose what happened, stop at any time, and Danny would let him.

They made it into his friend's bedroom, still kissing like neither of them ever wanted it to end now it had begun.

"Danny," Steve spoke against his partner's lips in between kisses, tugging at his t-shirt until the blonde lifted his arms so Steve could remove it along with his own.

"Yeah?" Danny gazed up at the other man, his face lit up in the shadows by brightly coloured flashes of light coming through the thin curtains. The sharp bangs and echoing booms were white noise now; nothing could interfere with this moment.

"Danny, I want you," Steve cupped his jaw with one hand while the other went to tackle his jeans flies. He needed Danny so much it made his skin itch, and he had to have him right now, tonight, here. More than that, he wanted to give himself to him.

Danny's shaky fingers travelled down the brunette's stomach to work at his button and zipper as well. "I want you too... so much..."

"No, I mean I want you. Inside me," Steve gazed deep into his eyes, "I want you to fuck me, Danny..."

Danny swallowed hard, trying to process the words. He hadn't actually had any sort of plan for when they got upstairs, hadn't thought ahead on things beyond getting into the bedroom and getting naked. Not for a minute had he thought Steve would want him to top.

"Holy shit..."

"If you want to, of course..." Steve paused, "Have you, I mean, with a guy?"

Danny nodded. "Uh yeah, I've been with guys before... have- have you..?"

"Yeah," Steve laughed, "I've done this before... but I want you, Danny. No one else. Just you..." He finished with Danny's zipper, leaving his jeans hanging loose, and reached past him to pull the top drawer of his night stand open.

The detective slipped his thumbs into his partner's waistband and slid his pants down over his hips, mouthing at his tanned neck and down to his shoulder.

"You have no idea, Steve, no idea how long I've wanted this..."

The Navy man turned him and pushed him down to sit on the bed, stepping out of his jeans. "Probably about as long as me," he said, handing Danny a bottle of lube, "We should have- oh god!"

He was cut off when Danny ran his tongue the length of Steve's erection through the cotton of his underwear, and the blonde revelled in the moan that was torn from his boss's chest. He kissed and mouthed at the solid heat, dropping the lube so he could pull Steve's boxers down and let them pool at his ankles.

God damn, he was perfect. Danny had known for a long time that his friend's body was model-gorgeous; he'd stripped in front of him enough times to have seen those ripped muscles in his torso and arms, fought with perps often enough for everyone to know just how athletic the guy was... but damn, everything about him was pure tanned, tattooed heaven.

His cock was long and dripping with precum, hanging heavily between them while Danny took a moment to really take in the god in front of him. He leaned forward and tentatively flicked his tongue over the head of Steve's dick, enjoying the gasp it elicited, and then he took the whole of it right back into his mouth until it bumped against his soft pallet.

He groaned happily when Steve's fingers laced into his hair, and when the vibrations made the brunette moan and grip harder Danny's own cock twitched in his pants.

The SEAL leaned his head back and lost himself in the sensation of his best friend's mouth surrounding his dick. It went wonderful, exhilarating, to finally experience something he'd always dreamed about but never thought he would actually get.

"Fuck, Danny..." Steve's voice sounded so broken and torn up and just perfect, Danny had to hear that again. He withdrew his mouth, supporting his friend's cock with one hand while he teased and tended to the tip with his tongue and lips, and the other hand searched blindly for the lube before find it and flipping the lid open.

He wrapped his lips around the tip of Steve's dick while he doused his right hand with lube and dropped the bottle on the bed again, and then he nudged the SEAL's thighs apart so he could reach through and run a slicked finger down between his cheeks.

Steve jerked, not knowing whether to push forward into his partner's mouth or backward against his finger, but the difficult choice was taken away from him when Danny decided to give him both. As he slid Steve's dick right to the back of his mouth, taking him even further and deep throating him, his middle finger carefully slid into his tight ass.

"Oh shit!" Steve cried out and tugged on Danny's hair again, sending sparks of arousal through his body, and he tensed around the blonde's finger. Danny quickly stopped and began to pull out, but Steve's hand flashed back to grasp his wrist. "No, keep going," he gasped. It felt so good, it was just a natural reaction after not having done this for a while.

Danny waited until the muscles relaxed around his finger, and then started to slowly work Steve open. He took his time, distracting the other man from the initial discomfort by focusing on the blowjob, sucking and licking until he was writhing against him, both hands back on his head.

Two fingers were pressed inside Steve, twisting slightly to rub over his prostate, and the Navy man rewarded Danny with another tug to his hair, which he'd noticed the man enjoyed. He swore and uttered Danny's name to the ceiling, breathlessly.

Danny gripped one of Steve's butt cheeks, pulling them apart so he could gain further access, moving his head back and forth to pleasure the man until he was gasping for air. He replaced two fingers with three, easing them into his friend slowly.

"I'm ready, baby," Steve moaned, pulling out of Danny's mouth, "I'm ready for you..."

"How do you want to-" the Jersey man started to ask, but he was quickly being shoved backwards onto the bed. He got his back up against the headboard and gazed open-mouthed as Steve dropped onto his hands and knees on the mattress and stalked over him, rolling his shoulders like a wild cat.

"Holy fuck, Steve... you're gorgeous..." He knew he sounded like an overwhelmed idiot, and he didn't care.

The brunette just smiled at him, beautiful soft lips tugging up at the corners. "Have you even seen yourself?"

He kissed Danny's lips, along his stubbled jaw and down his neck, with the Jersey man sighing and stretching out his throat for Steve to have better access. He gasped and tangled his fingers into the sheets when the SEAL nipped at the skin at his collarbone, and flicked a tongue over one sensitised nipple.

Steve rejoiced in every little reaction he pulled from the blonde, loved getting to put his hands and his lips on that tight, compact body. Danny was something else; solid muscle under supple flesh, golden hair covering his chest and stomach, the cut V-shape of his pelvic muscles which Steve just wanted to trace with his tongue disappearing below the waistband of his jeans, those strong, wide shoulders and firm biceps. He was delicious, and the brunette wanted to simply devour him.

"You're so hot, Danny," Steve's lips moved against his skin as he nuzzled through his chest hair, following the treasure trail that lead down into his pants, "The way you move drives me nuts, you know that?"

He had always watched the sway of his partner's hips, the wiggle of that pert, gorgeously rounded ass. Danny carried himself like a model, even if it was subconscious; full of confidence and self-control, with the air of not giving a shit what anyone else thought of him. It was a huge turn on for Steve, every day.

He hooked his fingers into Danny's open jeans and boxers, and the cop lifted his hips to allow him to pull them down as one, backing off the bed so he could throw them to one side.

"Jesus Christ," Steve murmured almost to himself, and his dark eyes ran the full length of his partner's body, settling on his cock. "Danny, fuck... you're huge..."

His dick lay thick and heavy against his stomach now, and it was frankly massive. Steve had expected something large to produce that swagger and level of assuredness in the Jersey man, but he hadn't quite been prepared for what now lay before him.

The detective blushed and shifted self-consciously. "I uh... I get that sometimes... is that a problem?"

Danny was out of proportion for his stature, he knew it, and it was often a surprise for his lovers in the past. The last thing he wanted was for Steve to be put off by his size, but if the other man wanted to change his mind then Danny would just find another way to ensure Steve got the fun he deserved.

The brunette crawled back up the bed until he was level with Danny's crotch, refusing to be daunted by this surprise development. Part of him was actually quite excited to see how this would feel.

"No," he purred, "No problem at all..."

His tongue left a wet stripe up the underside of Danny's cock, dipping in to the slit at the end to taste the precum beading there. The detective's eyes slid closed and he pressed his head back into the headboard.

"Oh god, Steve..."

Steve hummed happily. "I love it when you say my name like that."

He kissed his way back up Danny's body and settled over his thighs, their dicks gliding along one another. Then he was reaching for the drawer again, tugging out a condom, and picking up the lube.

Steve looked between the foil packet in his hand, Danny's cock, and the drawer. "Fuck, this is going to be too tight on you..." He gave him a wry smile. The condoms he had were quite tight on him, having a decent amount of girth himself, but they would be too small for Danny for sure.

Danny chuckled. "I uh... I don't have any on me... wasn't expecting tonight to go quite in this direction, I guess."

Steve flicked the condom away. "I'm... I'm okay if you are?" He knew he could trust Danny, he wouldn't be doing this at all otherwise.

"You serious? I mean, I'm clean but... Steve, are you sure?" Danny's heartbeat was in his throat at this point, his brain telling him this conversation was very counterproductive. The thought of being bare inside this man was unbelievably erotic, but he didn't want to rush anything simply because he was unprepared.

"I'm sure, Danno," the taller man leaned forward to kiss him on the lips, his hands flipping the lube open and slathering it onto Danny's cock and massaging him until he groaned and curled his fingers onto Steve's hair.

Steve used his fingers to slick up his hole some more in preparation, and then he was moving to straddle Danny's hips and position himself above his cock. He placed one hand on the blonde's shoulder and used the other to grasp his dick and point it upward.

Danny batted his hand out of the way and took hold of himself, enabling Steve to steady himself with both hands on his friend's chest. The Jersey man grasped his partner's hip and guided him down.

Steve straightened his spine and lowered himself carefully, taking a deep breath when he felt the head of Danny's cock press against his entrance. He relaxed himself as much as he could, and let himself drop down.

The fantastic stretch he felt as Danny entered him completely invaded his mind; all of his senses were flooded with the feeling of sinking down onto that thick, unyielding cock, and the sweet burn it caused within him as it pushed him to his limits.

"Fuck..." he gasped and dug his fingers into Danny's shoulders hard enough to bruise, "Oh god, you're so big..."

The blonde was panting, squeezing his eyes closed and grasping Steve's hip tightly. "If it hurts, tell me to stop," he managed to grit out, trying to cope with the intense sensations he was feeling himself. Steve was so tight around him, so hot and slick, and he had to fight with his body's natural need to jerk upward and fill that hole completely, take what was his and own it.

He had to let Steve choose the pace, have the power, decide how much he could take.

Steve wanted all of it and more. Every slow inch he slid down onto was bliss, and there was still more to come. He felt unbelievably filled, stretched to the limits, and sweat ran down his spine while he coped with the multitude of firing nerve endings, sending mixed messages of pain and pleasure to his brain.

"Fuck, Steve... you feel amazing..." Danny gasped, both hands now supporting his partner as he continued to lower himself.

Steve could only grunt in reply, concentrating on taking Danny carefully.

"C'mere babe," the blonde tugged on Steve's body gently, urging him to lean forward and take the pressure off his thighs so he could relax further.

He slid his hands onto the SEAL's face, finding the way his eyes were still closed and his brow knitted in an intense expression endearing. He was still lit up by intermittent flashes of colour, but neither of them had noticed the pyrotechnics outside in a very long time, and that lightened Danny's heart. He was so glad he could be the distraction that his friend needed, and he smiled as he brought him into a kiss.

Danny nipped at his lips and delved his tongue into Steve's mouth, stealing his focus away from the discomfort and putting all his love and passion into the exchange between their lips.

"I love you, Steve," he mumbled into the brunette's mouth, "You have to know that..."

Steve kissed him back, deeper and more needy, his fingers massaging Danny's shoulders. "I think I've loved you for a lot longer than I've wanted to admit," he whispered back.

Danny waited until his lover felt relaxed around him, and delicately placed a hand back on his hip. With one careful push, he slid all the rest of the way into Steve's body, burying himself to the hilt. It felt so fantastic to be so deep inside his boss, to feel him encasing him so fully that way.

Steve moaned into his neck, and Danny turned so he could see his face.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"No, god no," Steve chuckled and kissed him again, "God that feels so good..."

They smiled as they kissed one another, allowing the Navy man to adapt to being taken so completely, and then he leaned back and supported himself with his hands on Danny's thighs and began to move.

His slow rises and falls sent electricity zipping through the detective's body, and Danny moaned as he watched Steve's muscular body stretched out and moving in front of him. He truly was gorgeous, and he couldn't believe his luck that he got to see him, to feel him, this way.

Steve was in the perfect position for his prostate to be stimulated, and he let himself move slowly enough at first so that he could get used to Danny's size, but once he felt comfortable he used his powerful thighs to lift himself higher, faster, let the building energy within him take him where he needed to go.

He'd been with men before, but nothing had felt quite like this, and he let incoherent noises burst from his chest and tumble from his lips, interspersed with Danny's name and strained curses.

Danny leaned forward and kissed a line across Steve's chest, flicking his tongue over his hard nipples and sucking small, dark marks into the smooth flesh canvas he'd been presented with. Tomorrow these marks would still show on his lover, evidence of tonight that would fade long before the memories they would share.

He could feel his orgasm coiling at the base of his spine, and he wrapped his arms around Steve to help his movements as they both edged closer to their release.

"Danny... fuck... I need... I need you to fuck me..."

Steve could feel the burn in his legs, knew he couldn't keep this up for as long as they needed, and he wanted Danny to take control and have him.

He loved this man, trusted him with his very life, and he needed to show him that.

He let Danny lift him up off his cock, leaving him feeling empty and bereft, but the blonde laid a line of kisses up Steve's dick as he moved him up. Then he was laid on his back, and Danny was once again between his legs and pressing against his entrance.

"Danny, I need you to have me," he moaned, watching colour sparkle in his lover's eyes as more explosions punctuated the night.

"I will always have you, Steven," Danny smiled and buried his face into Steve's neck as he pushed forward and filled him once more.

He began a steady rhythm, rolling his hips and plunging into Steve's tight hole, and as he got faster the SEAL got louder, clawing at the covers with one hand and Danny's back with the other.

"God... Danny, I'm gonna come..."

Danny wanted everything about this night to be perfect, wanted them to come together and savour the moment.

"Not yet baby, not just yet," he kissed Steve's cheek and angled his drives to feed his own orgasm for a moment, waiting until he was right on the edge.

The he was reaching between them, pumping down the length of Steve's straining cock in time with his thrusts, and whispering "Now, Steve, I want you to come now..."

It was like he was holding a firecracker in his hand, the way the brunette exploded underneath him just as his own climax hit, and he bucked forward and pulsed his cum deep inside his lover as Steve cried out his name and dug his nails into Danny's back.

Endorphins raced through Steve's veins as he felt every muscle in his body tighten and release, and the sensation of Danny's heat filling him up made him moan long and hard as his own cum spurted over his chest and stomach.

The cop collapsed down on top of him, their sweaty chests heaving in unison, and Danny mouthed along the tendon that connected his neck to his shoulder as they both came down from their high.

"Holy fuck," he groaned as Danny pulled out of him and rolled onto his back beside him.

"Well that's one way to celebrate Independence Day," Danny chuckled and ran his hands through his messy hair.

Steve shifted onto his side and winced at the slight pain in his ass. He was going to be feeling that one for a while, and that was glorious in itself.

"It's certainly the best way to handle a panic attack," he laughed and kissed Danny's lips.

It was only meant to be a brief peck, but the detective wrapped his arms around Steve and pulled his body on top of his own, deepening the kiss and luxuriating in the feel of his partner's tongue against his own.

They finally broke apart for oxygen, and Steve gazed down at the man beneath him.

"You really are always there for me, huh? Even when I think I'm alone," he smiled.

"Always, Steve. You're never alone," he leaned up to kiss him again.

"Thank you for coming tonight. For checking up on me... I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't..." Steve laid his head on that warm solid chest and listened to Danny's heart rate return to normal as it thumped against his ribs, "I feel like an idiot..."

"Shh, you're okay now, that's what matters. And you're not an idiot," Danny rolled his eyes when Steve looked back up at him with a grin, "Well you are," he backtracked, "Just not for this..."

Steve got himself comfortable again, fingers tracking through Danny's chest hair as he felt himself drift, exhaustion taking a hold on his mind.

"Will you stay tonight?" he whispered. The bright lights and thunderous bangs outside no longer bothered him, not when he was being held close to Danny's warm body like this, but that wasn't the only reason he was asking him not to leave.

They had wasted so much time getting to this point, and a part of him felt like he would wake up in the morning and find it was all just a dream, especially if Danny were to go tonight.

The blonde hugged him closer and hooked one of Steve's legs over his using his knee.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to, babe," he murmured as he let sleep take him, "I've got you..."

Both men slept through the rest of the celebrations easily.