Work Text:
“Excuse me?”
“What?”
“Danny, you are still having trouble dealing with Steve’s rash actions and have no outlet other than anger to show your displeasure, spanking Steve will be a reminder to Steve to look after himself and an outlet for you to show your worry in a safe way.”
“Yeah, no. Absolutely no. Emphatically no.” Danny told her firmly.
“Why would you even suggest that?” Steve demanded, face red. “I am not a child.”
“This has nothing to do with your age, Steve.” The therapist told him, apparently unbothered by their reactions. “Spanking is a perfectly acceptable punishment in BDSM. It can even be used another way of giving up control to your dom. A way to bond.”
“That is never happening.” Steve said sharply.
“A hundred percent. Never.” Danny agreed.
“It was just an idea. Given that you two have already started to navigate a BDSM relationship, it isn’t so out of the realm of possibility.”
“Uh, yes, yes it is.”
“Completely.” Steve agreed immediately.
“It was just a suggestion. As I said, I think it could prove beneficial to your relationship.”
“No.”
“No.”
“All right.” The therapist said easily. “Steve, why don’t you tell me about how submitting to Danny feels to you?”
Reddening, Steve stutteringly started to answer, in as curt of responses as he could get away with, face red. But as he spoke and as Danny politely pretended that he wasn’t there so Steve didn’t feel too self-conscious, they both were thinking the exact same thing—spanking would never, ever, be part of their relationship.
Or so they thought.
***
Danny couldn’t even look at Steve, he was too pissed and worried and he really really didn’t want to start having an argument where they would just blow up at each other and act like asses for the next week.
Steve seemed to get the message, luckily, and was silent as they drove back to the Palace.
Once parked, Danny waited for Steve to get out and go to his truck, intending to drive home and do something to relieve stress like drinking a few beers and watching a sci-fi movie in peace without Steve there to deride the plot.
But Steve didn’t get out immediately and Danny felt his jaw clench.
“Danny—”
“Stop. I don’t want to do this right now. Tomorrow—maybe the day after tomorrow, we can talk. But not—now.” Danny told him flatly.
“But—”
“Steve.”
“You’re being completely unreasonable right now—”
“Excuse me?” Danny gritted his teeth and glared over at Steve. “You almost died, Steve! Again! And it wasn’t because there was no other option! You just decided to charge in there all by yourself! You do realise that you are part of a team, right? How the hell can you expect us to trust that you have our backs when you don’t even care enough about your own!”
“Danny, I knew what I was doing—”
“No you didn’t! You saw point A and point B and thought, hmm, how can I get from one to the other, and you chose the literal worst path ever—which was not a straight line—didn’t tell us, your team, where you were going so we could either talk you out of it or back you up, and then you just start grinning like an idiot like it’s no big deal!”
“Danny, I know you get worried—”
“Do not try and put this all on me, like I’m overreacting, you jerk.” Danny cut in sharply. “Ask Kono, ask Chin, Jerry, Max, Lou—ask all of them and see if anyone of them agrees that what you did was the right move and they weren’t worried about you at all! I swear to god, Steven, I am this fucking close to doing what our therapist said and tanning your ass until something finally sticks in your goddamn head!”
“You serious right now?” Steve questioned angrily. “Will it get you to shut up about this whole thing?”
“Yes!”
“So do it! But I’m not some errant child, Danny, and if you think a spanking is going to do anything except embarrass the both of us, you’re wrong.”
“Ha!”
Steve glared. “One spanking and then no more talk about anything that happened today. Deal?”
Danny stared at him, anger momentarily subsiding at the absurdity of what Steve was offering up. “What?”
“You said a spanking would get it out of your system, so do it.”
“I don’t think you realise what you’re agreeing to, Steven—”
“I know what I’m doing! Just like I knew what I was doing before.”
And that did it. Danny glared at him. “You know what, fine!”
“Fine!”
“Good!”
“Great!”
They glared at each other, Danny not backing down and then Steve was stomping away from the Camaro to his truck and Danny was peeling out of the parking lot.
***
Once he’d managed to cool down as best he could, he texted Steve.
Tonight. Your place.
…
Danny waited impatiently.
Ok.
He stared at the single word for a long moment.
Honestly, he’d been expecting Steve, who had also had time to cool down to back off and say the deal was off, but of course the guy couldn’t back down from anything and if that didn’t spark a bit of annoyance and fresh anger about what the neanderthal had gone and done earlier that day, Danny might’ve even been the one to suggest making the deal null and void.
Be there in 10
Steve wanted to play this game, fine.
Grim faced, Danny went to go and grab some bruise cream from his first aid kit—just in case—and then headed out to the Camaro and then to Steve’s.
***
“Can’t I just lean against the wall?” Steve protested, not moving closer.
Danny looked at him levelly. “No. Get over here.”
Reluctantly, regretting the surge of anger that had led him to this place and time, Steve knelt down on the couch cushion beside Danny and gingerly draped himself over Danny’s thighs.
“Hands behind your back.”
Steve was moving before Danny had even finished talking, his muscles long since trained to the command.
Danny tied his wrists together with the silk tie he’d used before and then put a hand on his ass, Steve flushing and Danny doing likewise, both glad the other couldn’t see their faces.
“Remember your safeword?”
Steve felt a flare of unease. “Yeah. Why?”
“Why do you think?” Danny countered. “This is a punishment, Steve, but I still want you to know that if it gets too much, I’ll stop and I’ll still honor our deal.”
“I can take anything you throw at me, Danny.”
Danny shook his head. “Are you ready?”
Steve felt himself automatically tense further and then he nodded.
Danny lifted a hand and let loose.
The spanks were mild, but Steve knew better than to be lulled into a false sense of security. This was just the warmup.
It was when the spanks started to sting that Steve was proven right, Danny grabbing the waistband of his pants and drawing them down so his ass was bared.
“Hey!” Steve tried to move to pull his pants back up but his hands were tied so all he did was sort of wriggle like a worm on a hook.
Not hearing a safeword, Danny rained down several more powerful smacks, hitting the sit spots as well. He wanted Steve to remember this.
“What you did today was stupid, Steve. It scared me half to death, it worried your entire team. We could have lost you.” Danny increased the power of his spanks, Steve letting out an almost yelp before he bit down hard on his cheek. “You are not indispensable, Steve. You are part of a family. I’m not going to lose you because you can’t see that.”
“I can see it!” Steve protested, grunting as a particularly hard slap hit just under his left buttock.
“Then why do you keep putting yourself in danger like that, huh? What makes you think that if you die it’s any better than if any of us die? You are important.”
Steve bit on his cheek again. This time to keep from saying something stupid like Danny was wrong—he didn’t have a kid like Danny, he wasn’t married like Kono and Chin, and when you put up all the stats, he was less of a priority to keep alive over the rest of his team. That was just factual.
As if sensing his thoughts, the pace and power behind the spanks picked up, his ass on fire and each smack making his legs twitch reflexively.
“You’re not less important than any of us, Steve.” Danny told him. “You matter. You’re my partner, my best friend—my kids call you Uncle Steve—you don’t get to decide that your life is worthless.”
The mention of the kids and the raw emotion in Danny’s voice had Steve’s inside feel like they were all jumbled up, the first bit of doubt regarding what he’d done on the case starting to gnaw at him.
“We love you, Steve, me, the kids, the team, your ohana. How do you think it is for all of us every time you just dive into something without a care about your own skin, huh?” Danny emphasized every word with another spank, Steve trying to get away from the sting and failing, chin digging into the couch cushion as he bit his lip.
“Do you know what you mean to all of us?”
More spanks, harder and faster than before, Steve grunting.
“We love you, Steve, all of us. So why do you keep acting like you’re all alone?”
His ass was on fire, but Steve gritted his teeth and tried to zone Danny’s voice out. Because he knew that they loved him, and he loved them, but it wasn’t—he was always alone, he had to be alone, because it was dangerous to be near him sometimes. His dad had been killed because of him—his mom had abandoned him—Cath had run away—
“I’m always here for you, babe, always. I trust you more than I think I’ve ever freakin’ trusted anyone—why can’t you trust me? Why can’t you trust that I’ll have your back?”
“I do!” Steve half yelped as one spank hit a tender spot, body bucking reflexively. “Danny, I do!”
“Trusting someone is different from protecting them, Steven. You protect your ohana, you’d give up your life for your ohana, but trust?” More spanks, Steve letting out an unintentional grunt. “If you trusted us, you wouldn’t act like we can’t take care of ourselves, take care of you. Don’t push us away, Steve.”
Steve flinched from another rain of spanks, vision blurring as he pressed his chin against the cushion, hands flexing into fists spasmodically.
“N-not pushing you aw-away.” He mumbled, voice uneven. He wasn’t doing that, was he? He was just making sure they were safe—and he did trust them, he did!
…
Didn’t he?
“Then why didn’t you tell us where you were going, huh? Why did you have to go it alone? Why, Steve? Why did you have to go and almost get yourself killed? What, were you trying to prove something? Trying to be Superman over here?”
“NO!” Steve panted.
“Then what, Steve? Huh? What were you thinking?” Danny demanded, flying hand sparking blossoms of pain across Steve’s ass.
“That I’m expendable!” Steve exploded after one particularly heavy-handed spank. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me, all right? It doesn’t matter—!”
“Of course it matters, Steven! You matter and if I have to spend the rest of my life getting that through that thick skull of yours, I will because I’m not going to fucking lose you, Steve!” Danny interrupted, voice turning thick with emotion.
“Danny—” But he couldn’t formulate a response, his heart feeling like it was about to be squeezed in half, tears spilling down his cheeks. And then the next wave of spanks came and Steve sagged, sobbing brokenly.
Danny stopped immediately, relieved that Steve had finally let go because despite his earlier intention to spank the guy just for the sake of it, he really had wanted it to get through to him.
Absently, he rubbed the red ass in front of him, other hand resting on Steve’s neck.
“’m sorry—s-sorry—didn’t—didn’t think.” Steve managed to wheeze out in between body shaking cries. “Didn’t—didn’t think.”
“No, you didn’t.” Danny agreed, struggling to keep his voice steady, emotions that he didn’t think he’d feel still threatening to have him bawling right next to Steve. “I’m glad you can see that now. How worried you made all of us—made me.”
Steve nodded breathlessly, gasping through his mouth, tears still leaking down his face.
“Okay. Then we can put this all behind us, just like we said.” Danny told him softly, reaching over to get the cream he’d brought along in the event Steve didn’t back down from the spanking. Which he hadn’t. He carefully applied it to Steve’s ass, trying not to think about how freakin' weird this all was, and once he was done, Steve was practically a puddle, still sniffling pathetically.
Danny rubbed his back. “Think it might be a good idea to forget clothes for awhile, Steve.”
Steve didn’t argue, just turned watery eyes to Danny. Searching and hopeful.
“You…did good, Steve. Real good.” Danny said, correctly guessing what Steve wanted, the man looking relieved. He untied the tie around Steve’s wrists, rubbing them briefly before letting them go and directing Steve to stand up, pants and underwear getting tangled up against his boots as he stood, half naked and trembling.
For maybe the first time since all of this started, Danny got the feeling of complete and utter trust from Steve—the fact he wasn’t immediately pulling up his pants and fleeing or knocking Danny on the chin was testament enough to that. This was big, huge—and it almost brought tears to his eyes because this is what he'd been talking about, this level of trust, and to actually receive it—it was...staggering.
Dropping down to the ground, mindful of his bad knee that hadn’t liked having two hundred pounds of Navy SEAL draped over it, Danny plucked at the laces for the boots and helped Steve get out of them as well as his socks, then his cargo pants, and then his underwear.
Feeling an intense need to have Steve close, to really emphasize the fact that they were good, Danny sat back on the couch and pulled Steve towards him, having him straddle his hips so his sensitive ass wouldn’t have to face the rough fabric of his pants.
Steve went immediately, clinging tightly to Danny as Danny clung just as tightly back.
Danny wasn’t sure how much time passed before Steve started to get too relaxed, a wrong move making his ass sting and prompting a wince from him. Without thinking, Danny reached down to softly massage the tight skin, Steve stiffening and then relaxing again.
He let Steve have another few minutes but when the man started to breath more deeply, Danny gently nudged him. “Bed.”
Steve again just docilely followed his orders to get up, Danny helping keep the unsteady man upright, and then they headed upstairs, Danny ushering Steve to his bed and to lay down on his stomach. Steve had that soft trusting look in his eyes again and Danny couldn’t help but smooth his hair back affectionately.
“Try and get some sleep.”
Steve reached for Danny before he could go, eyes still a little teary, and Danny was curled up against his side before he knew what he was doing, Steve latching on like an octopus and not letting go.
***
The day after was…
Well, it existed.
Steve had woken up, disoriented for a good few minutes before he realised he was laying on Danny’s chest and every little move made his ass burn.
Shit.
Ah.
Okay.
…
Okay.
So—
“Yes, Steven, that all happened. And yes, it was weird, and yes, I will not hesitate to do it again the next time you do somethin’ batshit crazy like that.” Danny mumbled, rough voice indicating that he’d just barely gotten up himself. “How’s the ass?”
Steve flushed. But considering he’d let his partner spank him and was now lying in bed with said partner with his ass and the rest of him on full display, he really couldn’t argue the question being intrusive.
“Hurts.” He admitted quietly.
Danny shifted, Steve not ready to leave the bed yet and burying his face into a pillow.
“No bruising. Just red.” Danny told him, Steve’s face burning as he realised Danny had sat up only to stare at his ass. “Listen, you go and take a shower then I’ll put more of that cream on, should help.”
He was crawling up and out of bed before he realised he was, step faltering as he got to the doorway of the bathroom, embarrassed anger rising in him. “Hey, you don’t get to order me around unless we’re doing the—the thing.”
“That was not an order, Steven, that was me making a suggestion.” Danny retorted evenly. “And since I’m the one that made that ass red I guess I can be the one to help make it feel better.”
That had Steve flush again and he wordlessly continued into the bathroom.
When he came out, he was still embarrassed and still had no good argument against Danny applying the cream on his ass again. So he lay down on the bed as directed, fully naked this time, and let Danny put it on.
“There.” Danny smacked his ass lightly, Steve wincing even though it had barely connected.
“Jesus, Danny.” He complained crawling up from the bed.
“You’re supposed to feel it, Steve.” Was Danny’s only reply before he disappeared to go and take a shower.
Steve frowned but again, couldn’t argue the point, and he spent the next few minutes trying not to swear as he pulled on his underwear and pants over the tender flesh. Making a mental note to himself not to sit for any longer than was necessary, Steve finished getting dressed and headed downstairs, each step making fabric rub against his ass.
A reminder, Steve thought sourly.
Danny made his way down a few minutes later, Steve silently passing over a plate with an omlette on it as he ate with his hip leaning against the countertop.
Giving him a long look, Danny took his plate, grabbed some coffee that Steve had made fresh, and sat down pointedly at the table in the dining room.
Face red, Steve quickly finished his meal and washed the dishes, Danny entering the kitchen with his empty plate and cup just as he finished drying them off.
“Hey.”
Steve reached out and took the dishes, putting them in the sink and flicking on the water again, but before he could take up the sponge, Danny was lightly tugging on his wrist and pulling him to face him.
“I mean, thank you, you know for that, but that isn’t exactly what I was going for here, babe.” Danny looked at him intently. “Steve…everything that I said, I meant it, you know. And what you said, about being expendable—”
Steve’s gaze flicked past Danny, his jaw clenching and shame creeping up his spine. He hadn’t meant to say that.
“Uh-uh. Do not do that, Steven.” Danny chided gently, Steve reluctantly looking back at him. “You are not expendable, okay? Never. No matter what the situation.”
Steve swallowed.
“I…I know, Danno.”
Danny sighed. “Don’t lie to me, Steven.”
Steve’s stomach flipped uncomfortably.
“I’m trying.” He whispered.
Expression softening, Danny nodded. “I know, babe.” He said quietly, arms opening. “C’mere.”
Steve went readily, curling around the shorter man and letting out a shaky breath.
“Hey.” Danny patted his back. “I love you, Steve.”
Getting a handle on the emotions that were bubbling up in his chest, Steve hugged on tighter. “Love you too, Danno. And—” He broke off, suddenly nervous. He took a breath. “And thanks. For saying all that, you know, everything.” He blinked away moisture in his eyes and he ducked his head against the side of Danny’s neck. “For meaning it.”
“Steve—” Danny cleared his throat, inwardly cursing everyone who had made Steve feel like he was some type of burden to them or that he wasn’t deserving of their love or attention. Whoever had made him feel like he wasn’t worth anything. “Steve, I’ll always mean it. All of it. No matter how pissed off I get or whatever goes on between us, I’ll always mean it. Even if you try jumping off a building. Again. And do not take this as some sort of carte blanc to do any more crazyass plans, you hear me?” He reached down a hand, lightly patting at Steve’s buttock, Steve jerking, face on fire.
“Jesus, Danny, I hear you.” He said hurriedly.
“You better. Let’s not make this spanking thing a habit, okay?”
“Hey, fine by me.” Steve agreed immediately.
Danny just hummed and then they stood there for a while, neither ready to let go. Steve more than okay with that.