Sarcasm or Suckage

from part 2



Supper was noisy and delicious. Dean couldn’t remember a meal he’d enjoyed more. He and Sam were absorbed into the banter and bickering as though they’d been part of the team for years. He ate too much, drank too much and talked way too much. Sam was more relaxed than Dean had seen him in ages. It was a good night.

Danny was opinionated and bossy. Steve was quieter but firm. Chin contributed little but when he did, everyone listened. Kono was the little sister Dean had never had; nosy, pushy and delightful.

Dean was a little in love with all of them by the time the evening wound down. “I like you,” he told Steve who was leading him up the stairs to the room he and Sam were sharing. Sam had volunteered to help with some of the clean-up.

“I’m a likeable guy,” Steve told him.

“I’m not,” Dean confided. “Lickable, I mean.” He grinned. “Likeable.”

“I don’t think you’re as drunk as you’re pretending,” Steve said.

Dean smiled. “I’m drunker than I let myself get around strangers,” he admitted.

“You and Sam,” Dean waited for Steve to carry on but he didn’t.

“Yeah,” Dean said and it felt good to acknowledge that there was more to Sam and him than DNA.

“You make quite a team,” Steve steered him into the room and Dean was delighted to see a queen sized bed.

“We’ve been part of a whole since childhood,” Dean confessed. “We didn’t take it further until,” and he stopped, not wanting to think about Sam when he’d come back from Hell, broken and not-Sam.

“You don’t have to explain,” Steve told him and lowered him to the bed. It was firm and felt a little like heaven to Dean’s tired body.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to explain it to,” he said, flopping back onto the mattress and looking up at Steve. “You kinda remind me of Sammy.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Steve’s mouth curved in a small smirk.

“I’m a flirt,” Dean advised and Steve’s smile widened.

“Duly noted,” he said.

“Anyway, when Sam came back,” Dean stopped, not wanting to add more weird to an already bizarre situation, “from where he came back from.” He frowned. “That sounds wrong.”

“It’s wrong,” he agreed. He rocked back on his heels, watching Dean closely.

Dean sniffed. “Whatever. Anyway, Sammy came back different and it took us a while to get back to normal.” His heart felt heavy, remembering the moment when Sam had walked up to him, awake as himself for the first time in a year, and just held on, hard. “From then on, we found it harder and harder to be apart, to be separated.” Leviathan, Bobby, Cas, all the fucking crap they’d been dealing with. Dean wondered how they were still standing.

“Love makes you do the wacky,” Steve said.

Dean stared at him. “You know Buffy?” he breathed. “I might be in lust with you so hard right now.”

Steve laughed. “She’s cool,” he said. “It’s why all this Adaro shit is not freaking me the fuck out.”

“I could go straight for Buffy Summers,” Dean said thoughtfully.

“I’d kill you,” Sam’s voice was a sigh in the doorway and Dean rolled his head to the side to look at him. God, he was pretty.

“He sure is,” Steve agreed and Dean realized that he’d said it aloud. He tried to stop the blush. Sam’s dirty little laugh told him that he’d failed.

Sam walked into the room and tugged at Dean’s bootlaces. “Why the fuck do you always double-knot?” he complained as he tried to untangle the mess.

“So I won’t trip over my fuckin’ feet when I’m chasing after a vamp,” Dean reminded him and stared at Steve. “So you and Danny, huh?”

Steve startled and blushed. Dean congratulated himself mentally. At least fifty percent right then. “What about me and Danny?” Steve's eyes were wide. “He’s my partner.”

“Uh-huh,” Dean watched Sam take out his Apache TAC-1. “Hey!” he waved a hand. “Do not fucking cut my laces, dude!”

Sam scowled at him and Dean wanted to lick the frown lines away. And that sounded very, very wrong. He blinked and Sam grinned. The fucker could probably read his mind.

Dean looked back at Steve. “Why haven’t you made a move?” he asked Steve.

Steve opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. “He’s not interested?” It sounded like a question.

“Oh, he’s interested,” Dean assured him and slanted a glance at Sam. “Right, Sammy?”

Sam grunted and pulled hard on Dean’s laces.

“Sam?” Dean nudged Sam with his other foot and Sam sat back.

“Seriously, I’m cutting these laces in about two seconds if you don’t get them off yourself.” Sam looked homicidal. Dean was concerned for his laces. He sat back up and pulled his boots off without undoing the laces. It fucking hurt like a bitch.

“You’re such a moron,” Sam told him.

“I’m awesome,” Dean said with a great deal of conviction. Steve started backing out of the room. Dean pointed at him. “Don’t be a pussy, McGarrett,” he ordered. “Life’s too short to wait for the right moment.”

Steve made a sort of pained attempt at a smile and fled, closing the door behind him. Sam crawled up next to Dean on the bed. “Should I call your Dr Phil or Dr Ruth?” he asked.

Dean sniffed. “Fuck you,” he said, “Steve is gonna owe me forever for that little piece of advice.” He waved at Sam. “Hey babe.”

“Nothing is happening in this room tonight,” Sam told him, going for determined.

Dean lifted a lazy hand and palmed himself. Sam’s eyes followed the movement, going dark and intent. “Y’sure ‘bout that, Sammy?” Dean asked.

“I hate you,” Sam announced and headed for the bathroom.

Dean chuckled to himself, hand still rubbing slowly across his own dick. The island, the people, the fucking air was having an effect on him. “We should think about retiring here,” he told the fan wafting slowly above his head.

“What?” Sam stuck his head out of the bathroom door, toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, toothpaste foaming at the corners.

“Nothin’,” Dean hauled himself to his feet and grabbed his toothbrush. He nudged Sam away from the washbasin and started brushing his teeth. Sam’s eyes met his in the small mirror and he could read the love, the worry, the affection in his brother’s face.

“What?” Dean asked but he was spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing his mouth out before the word was done.

Sam closed the bathroom door and put the water on. The steamy heat from the shower soon filled the small room. He crowded Dean up against the door, not saying a word.

“Now, Sam,” Dean warned, “don’t you start something you’re not intending to finish.”

Sam’s mouth curled up in a smirk, dimples carving deep grooves in his cheeks. Dean leaned up and kissed him. Sam’s lips were cool and his mouth tasted of toothpaste. His hands tightened on Dean’s hips and the pressure of his mouth increased.

Dean pulled back. “Thought nothing was happening tonight, Sasquatch?” he slanted a gaze up at Sam. It still sort of pissed him off that Sam was taller than him.

“A little kissing is okay, I guess,” Sam admitted and bit Dean’s bottom lip. Dean shivered when Sam licked the small pain away.

“Are we showering or wasting water?” Dean asked.

Sam stepped back and pulled off his shirt in reply. Dean hurried to do the same. The amount of booze he’d consumed over dinner made him a little slower, a little clumsier than usual and he found Sam’s hands at his belt buckle after he’d fumbled with it for a while.

“I coulda done that,” Dean assured Sam who pulled his boxers down with his jeans and knelt at his feet.

“I’m sure you could have,” Sam looked up at him, eyes bright. “Now step out of your pants, Dean.”

“’Mnot, five,” Dean grumbled but his hand went to Sam’s broad shoulder as he stepped out of the pile of clothes. Just in case.

“Get in the shower,” Sam ordered and fuck if Dean wasn’t turned on by it. When the hell had that happened? He walked into the shower that was barely big enough for the two of them.

Sam pulled the shower curtain closed behind him as he followed Dean. The heat of the water and the heat of Sam’s body behind him was making Dean feel a little dizzy. He jumped when Sam’s hands landed on his shoulders. “Let me take care of you,” Sam murmured into his ear and Dean leaned back against him, weak and wanting.

Sam’s hands were careful as he soaped Dean’s body. There was something like adoration in his touch. Dean had loved Sam all of his life but since they’d moved on to…this, whatever the fuck this was, their bond had doubled.

“Stop thinking,” Sam told him, voice low and growly. Dean barely stopped the shiver and Sam didn’t miss that. “Oh, so you’re in the mood for me telling you what to do tonight?”

“No,” Dean said and meant the complete opposite.

Sam, the little shit, knew him too well. “Touch yourself,” he whispered and Dean’s hand was on his own cock before he’d finished the order. “Slowly,” Sam added.

Dean might have whimpered. But he obeyed. The double stimulation of his own hand and Sam’s big palms stroking their way across his chest and down his stomach were driving him insane.

Sam licked at Dean’s neck and then sucked a mark into his skin. “Bitch,” Dean gasped.

“Just making sure that everyone knows who you belong to,” Sam muttered into his skin. Dean almost came right there.

“I’m going to make you pay for that,” he warned Sam.

The dirty laugh into his skin made Dean squirm. “Only if I let you,” Sam said and his fingers wrapped around Dean’s. Dean sucked in a breath and started to move his hand. “No,” Sam ordered, “we do this together.”

Dean protested. “Wanna touch you.”

“Later,” Sam promised and they moved their hands together, jacking Dean in slow motion. Dean refused to be embarrassed by the sounds he made as the joint stimulation of their hands and Sam’s mouth at his neck. He’d stopped making excuses for the things Sam made him feel.

He came hard, Sam’s name a harsh whisper beneath the sound of the water. Sam bit down hard and Dean cursed. “Fuck, Sammy, you’re gonna draw blood!” but it was hot and he knew that Sam got off on a little pain every now and then.

Dean wasn’t always so happy with it being him that suffered, but he figured that Sam had endured enough pain for three hundred lifetimes so he took one for the team occasionally.

Sam finally turned the water off and Dean let him take care of him. Sam rubbed him dry with the towels Steve had given them and Dean leaned his forehead against Sam’s shoulder.

“C’mon, you big baby,” Sam’s tone was fond as he bundled Dean into bed. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”

“Eh.” Shrugging was a little difficult lying down, wrapped in an eiderdown, but Dean tried it anyway, “Another day, another monster. We’ve been doing this for a while now.”

Sam made an agreeing sound and climbed into the bed next to him. “So retiring to Hawaii huh?”

“Shut up,” Dean snuffled into Sam’s neck.

“What happened to ‘we’re going to go out in a blaze of glory’?” Sam sounded amused.

Dean cracked open an eye. “You do this on purpose, you know?”

“What?” Sam tried for innocence but Dean was onto him.

“You talk about all this emo shit when I’m tired or I’ve just come.” Dean tried to glare at Sam but he was feeling too good. “You think you’re so fucking sneaky.”

Sam shook with laughter. “Go to sleep, Dean. I won’t try to trick you into talking about feelings and shit tonight.”

Dean dug a finger into Sam’s side and he squeaked. “I know your weak points, fucker.” But Dean was smiling as he closed his eyes again.

*********

Steve watched the Winchesters the next morning. They moved like one. Before the one needed something, the other had passed it to him. It was uncanny and made him feel a little wistful.

“So, did you hear any interesting noises from the guest room last night?” Danny’s voice in his ear made Steve jump a little.

“What?” he asked.

Danny waggled his eyebrows. “Did they do the nasty?”

Steve stared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He shook his head.

Danny flinched. “It was a joke,” he said.

“Not funny, Danny,” Steve felt protective of these guys. They felt like family which was really absurd.

“Sheesh, Steven,” Danny’s mouth was pinched. “I’m sorry for whatever line you think I crossed when I wasn’t paying attention.”

Steve looked at Danny and then back at Dean and Sam. “They don’t give a fuck that everyone knows how they feel about each other,” he hissed.

Danny stared at him. “Are you high?” he asked.

“I’m serious, Danno. It’s obvious that they love each other and they don’t care that everyone else thinks they’re freaks. They don’t care.” Steve was angry and confused and he didn’t know what he was trying to tell Danny but it felt important.

“They’re brothers and they fuck,” Danny sounded neutral and Steve wasn’t sure what that meant.

“I know. I don’t care. Do you?” Steve knew that Danny’s answer was important.

“No,” Danny shrugged, “It’s their shit, and no one’s business.”

“So why’d you make that joke?” Steve needed to know.

“Because it’s an uncomfortable situation and I’m an asshole?” Danny suggested.

Steve felt his mouth curve in a grin. “Okay,” he said.

“We good?” Danny asked.

“We’re good,” Steve said and waved at Kono and Chin who had just pulled up in Chin's truck. “Morning guys, you ready?” Chin lifted his bag and Kono grinned and waved her dive kit bag at him.

“Ready to head out?” Dean came up, Sam close behind him. Steve nodded. “Let’s go and get the mermaid, then.”

Sam’s mouth went tight and he glared at Dean. “For the last time…”

Dean rolled his eyes. “The name doesn’t matter, dude. The amount of dead it’s going to be is way more important.”

Steve bit back a smile as Sam muttered something dire under his breath.

Dean beamed at him. “It’s my job to drive my little brother crazy,” he whispered. “I give the monsters stupid names to fuck with him. He has several faces that express his annoyance. They have names like BitchFace 1 or ConstipationFace 3.”

Steve shook his head. “You and Danny could be twins,” he said and pointed a thumb at his partner. “He has names for my faces too.”

“Not to get into your business,” Dean said, keeping his voice low. “But, life is short, don't waste a moment.”

Steve looked at Danny. “It could fuck things up,” he grimaced. “I’d rather keep my friend.”

Dean cocked his head and put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “What if you could have it all?” he asked and then winked. “Come on, Sammy Let’s go and bag us a Burro.”

“Adaro, you moron,” Sam gritted and followed Dean to Chin’s truck. “Would you stop pretending that you have half a brain?”

“And spoil all your fun?” Dean’s smile was cocky and it made Steve laugh. “Never!”

“I’m still not sure why you’re all mushy about those two, but I’m going to trust your judgement on this one,” Danny told Steve.

Steve nodded. “Thanks, man. I appreciate the confidence.”

“But if you’re wrong…” Danny warned.

“I’m not,” Steve said, more sure than ever. “Let’s go find us a merman.”

*********

The boat ride to the Spitting Caves was bumpy. They left the Hawaii-Kai boat marina at about seven thirty and it took them about ten minutes to get there. Steve had commandeered two police dinghies. One was loaded with Chin and the Winchesters, and the other carried Danny, Kono and himself. They’d all geared up in wetsuits before they’d headed out. Well, Chin, Kono and Steve had. Dean and Danny had both looked at him disbelievingly and grabbed life vests. Sam had offered to be a lookout on the surface. “I snorkel but I don’t scuba,” he’d said.

When they reached the dive site, Steve threw a rope over to the other dinghy and Chin tied them together.

“Okay, Kono and I will go down and do a little recon,” he said. “Chin and Sam will stay up on the surface with spear guns, just as an extra precaution.”

“And we sit around looking pretty, right?” Danny pointed to him and Dean.

“Uh,” Steve looked helplessly at Sam who shrugged and smirked a little, the asshole.

“You need to keep on the lookout for anything suspicious, remember?” Steve said. Sam coughed into his hand.

“Fuck you, Steven,” Danny pointed at him. “Seriously, I hope the mermaid turns you into stone.”

Steve laughed. “Love you too, Danno,” he said and fell backwards into the water, Kono following quickly after him. They dived down and Steve turned to look back up once. Chin and Sam both gave them a thumbs up. He waved and followed Kono down towards the caves.

At 35 feet, they hit the first cave. Steve let Kono take it; he didn’t think the Adaro would be so close to the surface. He had a feeling that they’d find them at the lowest cave.

The cave was empty barring a couple of manta rays that set the sand swirling on the cave floor. It was shallow and not someplace anyone could hide. Steve tried to put himself in the minds of the monsters. It was all too easy.

He pointed out and down, and Kono nodded, eye showing disappointment. She should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

They headed out and went down another fifteen feet or so, swam into the second cave. It was wide and large and a large green sea turtle bumped against him in its haste to leave. Again, it was a wash so they headed back out. Steve felt the tension tightening in his neck and his hand flexed against the handle of the underwater torch.

Caves three and four were also empty. Several reef sharks and some eels glared at them for disturbing their watery peace. Kono touched his arm. He pointed down and she frowned, the water distorting the lines of her face. They both knew that what they were hunting lay further down, deeper in the indigo ocean.

They hesitated at the entrance of the last cave. They were at around one hundred and thirty feet and were probably about halfway through their air. Steve checked their oxygen levels, just in case and showed Kono the sign for five minutes and she nodded. He went in first.

Something came flying out of the depth of the cave. It was moving very quickly and he lurched to the side. Kono moved in the opposite direction and turned to look at what had come at them. It looked like a flying fish. The fish continued on out into the ocean. More of the sharp toothed fish followed until the ocean seemed to be swarming with them. Suddenly Steve felt a sharp pain in his arm. He looked down and saw what seemed to be a piece of bone sticking out of the meat of his forearm.

Kono grabbed at him and started pulling him back out of the cave. Steve slapped his hand over the wound, well aware of the fact that there were tiger sharks in the area. They could scent blood in the water for miles. He didn’t fight Kono’s hold and let her pull him out. Once they hit open water, they started up to the surface.

Several more flying fish came at them, teeth sharp and pointed. One ripped a tear in Kono’s suit and she shook her head at him. She wasn’t wounded. Steve kept looking around as they carried on up as quickly as possible. He worried about decompressing but reckoned that they would be safe. As long as they didn’t go too fast.

They hit twenty feet and the water exploded around them. Steve felt Kono ripped away from him as he spun around in a tube of fast moving water. His goggles were ripped off his face and the air pipe to his mouthpiece tore at the joint. He was sucking in water and it felt like the biggest dump a wave had ever given him.

Steve had no idea what way was up and tried to orient himself. But the water was churning too much and black stars flickered behind his eyes as he began to struggle for air. He wondered for a brief moment if Danny would be sad or pissed at him and then fought again to get to the surface.

And then it stopped.

As suddenly as the water thing had appeared, it vanished. Steve saw the light of the surface and pushed hard for it, lungs burning.

Air had never tasted sweeter as his head broke the surface and he gulped it in. Then he looked around for Kono. He spotted her being helped into the dinghy by Dean and Sam and headed for the other one where Chin was still treading water and head down.

“What the actual fuck?” Danny was shouting as he hauled first Steve and then Chin into the dinghy.

“Get us to the beach as quickly as possible,” Steve gasped and fell back into the centre of the dinghy. Chin got them moving.

They hit land about two minutes later, jumping out of the boats and pulling them up the beach. Kono was pale and shaky. Sam looked a little green.

“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?” Danny shouted as he focussed on stopping the bleeding from Steve’s arm. “I told you not to shoot!” He appeared to be yelling this at the other boat.

“Did it stop because of you guys?” Steve asked Chin.

“Yeah,” Chin nodded, eyes on the ocean. “Spear gun seemed to do the trick.” He looked over at Sam. “That dude is lethal with a weapon. He didn’t shake, didn’t wave, just pointed to where we could see you and Kono rising and shot.”

“And you didn’t think that maybe you were going to hit Steve?” Danny yelled.

Chin met his angry gaze calmly. “He didn’t.”

“Oh my god, I work with insane people!” Danny threw his hands up and spun in a frustrated circle. Steve knew that this was Danny’s way of dealing with something that scared him.

“Check his arm,” Kono told Chin.

“It’s fine,” Steve glared at her. She kept her face expressionless as Danny grabbed his arm. Steve hissed and Danny pushed the torn wetsuit out of the way.

“You have a piece of fishbone in your arm, Steven,” Danny pointed out and went to rummage in the dinghy for the first aid kit they always brought along.

“So, fishbone weapons, water twisters and anything else in their arsenal?” Dean asked.

“Flying fish,” Steve said.

And Dean started laughing.

*********

Dean stared out at the water. Sam came up next to him. “So, what do you think?” Sam asked.

“They’re coming,” Steve said and they turned to look at him. “They saw where we went and they know that we know where they are. They don’t act like any fish I’ve ever seen.” Dean looked over at Steve, saw Danny bandaging him up, loudly berating his stupidity for getting hurt.

Dean nodded. “And we’ve done some damage, so they’re gonna want to take us out.”

Sam watched the water. “They’re moving differently. Not like schools do. Smart. Not like fish. With purpose.” He shook his head. “It’s wrong, is what it is.”

Chin walked over to them. “There was something on the bone that hit Steve,” he said. “It looks like poison.” His eyes were flat. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

“Puffer fish was the poison of choice in my research,” Sam offered.

Chin nodded. “I’ll tell the doctors.” He followed their gaze out to the ocean. “They’re going to come, aren’t they?”

Dean shrugged. “If my secret hideout had just been compromised…”

“We need to get set up,” Kono stated and they turned to look at her. She’d ripped the arms off her wetsuit and looked like a warrior princess.

Dean whistled at her. She was beautiful and scary in only half a wetsuit and a bikini top. “If I wasn’t in a monogamous relationship then I’d totally do you,” he said.

She snorted a startled laugh and they headed back to Steve and Danny.

“His arm is paralyzed,” Danny said and his eyes were frightened. “Puffer fish poison isn’t something we should be fucking with and now Super Seal is bitching at me because he can only use one gun.”

“We need to get ready,” Dean told them and Steve nodded.

“They’ll be here soon,” he agreed.

Dean looked around and saw an outcrop of rocks set back against the cliffs. “That looks like a spot to stand and defend,” he pointed.

Steve craned his neck and saw the spot. “Yeah, that’ll do.”

They hauled their gear out of the dinghies and headed for the rocks. They barely made it when the ocean erupted and three spinning waterspouts sped across the water towards the beach.

Sam and Dean automatically covered each other and looked around to see the Five-O team doing the same. Steve’s hand was steady as he pointed his gun.

“What was the plan again?” Danny called.

“Kill them like fish,” Dean shouted back and pulled out the large nets from the bags they’d grabbed.

“Three of them?” Kono asked.

Sam nodded. “I think so, I think each spout contains a swarm of…woah!” he ducked as about ten flying fish shot out of the nearest spout smashing into the cliff wall behind them.

“Poison!” Danny reminded them.

Dean barely stopped his eyes from rolling. He was worried about Steve though. The tough guy was a little grey around the mouth and sweat was pouring down his face. His gun hand was dropping and Dean thought the paralysis was setting in there too.

“We gotta finish this fast,” he told Sam. “McGarrett doesn’t look too good.”

Sam glanced over at Steve. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s finish this.” He opened his pack and pulled out the dart gun. He dipped the dart in the poison he’d mixed the night before. “I prepared a little surprise for them.”

He slotted the dart into the gun and lifted it to his mouth. He paused, aimed and blew hard. Dean was sure that beaming proudly at your baby brother’s dart gun prowess in the middle of a battle to the death with mermaids wasn’t the coolest thing to do, but he couldn’t stop himself.

The dart hit its mark and a wail of pain came out of the furthest waterspout.

“What the hell was that?” Chin asked.

“They form a resistance to the puffer fish poison, so I thought that I’d use something a little more land-based,” Sam said, loading his dart gun again.

The waterspout with the Adaro that Sam had hit started spinning slower and slower until it collapsed, the monster dropping to the sand and gasping.

The water seeped away, leaving a scaled humanoid creature gulping in air. A spear that looked like a rib bone fell out of its hand and the fish in the waterspout flew back into the sea.

“Loyal like dogs,” Dean murmured. Chin laughed.

Sam aimed for the second water spout and blew. The same almost-but-not-quite-human sound came from inside the spiral of water and Sam grinned in satisfaction.

“Who knew all those blow jobs would come in handy?” Dean asked and Sam glared at him. “What?” he held up his hands. “I’m just saying.”

“You’re an asshole,” Sam declared and they watched as Adaro number two staggered to the sand.

“What poison did you use?” Kono asked.

“Marbled Cone Snail,” Sam told her and set up his next dart. “One drop is powerful enough to kill twenty humans, so I reckoned it should at least slow this mother down.”

The last waterspout was almost on top of them, swarms of fish flying out of the water with deadly intent. Dean started using the butt of his shotgun like a baseball bat, trying to keep the fish away from Sam so that he could do his thing.

He heard a shout from his left and saw Danny on top of Steve, a whalebone spear sticking out of his side. One of the Adaro had managed to get beneath their defences. “Fuck,” he muttered. He looked at Sam and made a cutting gesture.

“Now, Sammy,” he said and Sam took aim and blew. The dart hit its mark.

The Adaro screamed, water spinning away and thinning the spout as it started moving back, heading for the ocean and Dean lifted one of the nets. “Oh no you don’t, buddy. It’s time to go bye-bye.” He threw the net at the slowing column of water and the Adaro went down in a heap of fish and bone.

Chin and Kono quickly followed suit with the other two creatures, securing them with nets and pulling them up the beach, away from the safety of the ocean.

“Now what?” Chin asked.

“Now you get your wounded to a hospital. Sam and me will baby-sit the monsters and wait for them to die,” Dean told him.

Chin stood for a moment, undecided and then held out a hand. “You two are good men to have at my back in a fight.”

Dean grinned. “Back at ya,” he said and looked over at Kono. “All of you.”

They helped get Steve and Danny into one of the dinghies and then Chin said, “Kono will stay with you.”

Sam opened his mouth and Chin held up a hand. “The dinghy is police property and you two don’t know how to get back to the marina.”

“Okay,” Sam said. Kono walked over to one of the Adaro, poking at it with a whale-bone spear. “She’s the most dangerous of all of you, anyway.”

Dean fluttered his eyelashes. “She’ll protect us.”

Chin barked a laugh and they helped to push the dinghy into the water and watched them leave.

One of the Adaro lurched up and Kono calmly grabbed a spear from a spear-gun and jammed it into the torso of the monster. The scream made Dean wince. Kono was fucking terrifying.

The sounds of dying creatures didn’t’ bother him and Dean looked around the beach. “I’m starving,” he said. “Is there anything to eat in any of the packs?”

Sam wordlessly pulled out a Mars Bar and handed it to Dean.

“I love you,” Dean breathed around a mouthful of chocolate.

“I know,” Sam said and grinned.

Sam was such a fucking nerd. Quoting Star Wars at him right now, was not cool. Dean would make him pay for that. After he'd finished his chocolate bar.

*********

“Turns out that puffer fish poison isn’t so good for you,” Danny informed them from his hospital bed. He looked remarkably cheerful for a guy who had a hole in his side.

Steve grunted, wondering how he’d managed to get stuck in the same hospital room as Danny, and kept his eyes closed. Some days, all he wanted was a little less Danny and a little more peace. He seldom got it.

“They had to pump his stomach,” Danny told the Winchesters with far too much relish. “It was nasty.”

“How do you know?” Steve asked, eyes still shut. “You were busy getting one stitch for your itty bitty wound.”

“Itty bitty…” Danny sputtered and his hands said what his words couldn’t.

Steve opened his eyes to look at Sam and Dean. “You’re leaving,” he said and it wasn’t a question.

Sam nodded. “Yeah, Bobby’s got a line on a Rugaru in Maryland, so we’re heading out.”

“On a boat,” Dean added and Steve chuckled.

“We’re not taking a boat just because you have an unreasonable fear of flying, Dean,” Sam told him. “We’d be wasting time. If we take a boat to the Mainland then the monster will have killed more people. Then I’d be stuck with your guilt-filled ass for the rest of time.”

“Thank you,” Steve said and held out his hand. Dean and Sam took turns in shaking it with a smile.

“You ever plan on coming back this way?” Danny asked the question Steve wanted to ask.

Sam shrugged. “Who knows, you get monsters here too, apparently.”

Danny started whistling the Ghostbusters theme song and Dean laughed. “Who ya gonna call?” he nodded and shook Danny’s hand.

“It’s been fun,” Sam said, “but we’re just going to…” he indicated the door and Steve nodded.

“If you ever need the services of Five-O, legal police business or just a character reference, you call me, okay?” Steve met Dean’s gaze and let him see how serious he was.

“Sure,” Dean agreed far too easily and Steve realized that they weren’t likely to see the Winchesters again.

They turned to leave, but at the door, Dean stopped and looked back. “Hey, Danny?” he called.

“Yeah?”

“Just fucking kiss McGarrett and put him out of his misery, man. What you’re doing is just cruel.” With a jaunty wave, he was gone.

The silence in the hospital room was leaden.

“That Dean Winchester…” Danny tried to joke but his voice was high and strained.

“Do you want to?” Steve asked, throwing all caution to the wind. He’d almost died trying to kill a mythical creature and life was just too fucking short.

“Do I want to what?” Danny hedged.

Steve sat up and dropped his legs over the side of the bed, staring at Danny. “Don’t be a dickhead,” he chided and felt his cheeks go a little hot. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Danny sat up too, a little slower because he was being careful not to tear his stitch. “Maybe,” he shrugged, but his face was red and his eyes were bright. “If you weren’t such a freaking hero all the time.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve was genuinely confused.

“It means you keep risking your life like it’s nothing and those who care about you have to sit around and wonder if they’ll ever see you again and….” Steve shut Danny up with his mouth.

Turned out to be the best method ever.