FIC This Kiss
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shanachie_quillTitle: This Kiss
Characters: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Grace Williams, Nick Taylor, Macy (OC), various other OCs
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Series: Honolulu 96731
Written For: Spring Fling
Prompt: First Kiss
Summary: After so long away from home, Steve is eager to see Danny again. He's just not sure he wants the guys to see how much he's missed the Jersey native.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Just for the rest of my series (including some things that haven’t been written yet)
Warnings: Fluff, Grace is adorable even as a teenager, Boys are dorks and incapable of expressing feelings without help
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me. “This Kiss” by Faith Hill also does not belong to me and I am sooo not making any money off any of this.
Author's Note: This is an Arc Three story in my Honolulu verse. I know I said I wasn’t going to write these out of order, but sometimes the prompts just work. Special thanks to my girls as always. Whogeek poked along with this one as I wrote it and gave me advice. Illfindmyway also poked along and also looked it over when I was done.
“McGarrett, you put your name into the raffle?”
Steve looked up as his bunkmate dropped onto his rack and shifted his own position so he wasn’t quite as squashed. His lanky frame never seemed to have enough room in the space they were allotted. In the two years they’d been deployed, he’d learned to adapt though. “What raffle, Macy?” he replied.
“For first kiss when we reach port,” Macy responded.
“Why would I enter something like that?”
Macy motioned towards one of the pictures Steve had tacked up next to his personal space; this one showing a smiling blonde with his arm around a darker haired girl. “You don’t think your guy’s gonna be at the dock waiting for ya?” Macy asked. “I mean when was the last time you actually saw him? Or maybe your little girl? Nothing says the kiss has to be a lovers’ kiss.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Danny does have his own job. There’s no guarantee that he can get that time off.”
Macy tossed a pair of socks at Steve who batted them away. “So you enter, you maybe win, and then. You ask him to get his ass to the docks. Dumbass.”
“Are you looking to get your ass kicked?” Steve wanted to know.
“Are you looking to get thrown overboard?” Macy replied. “Put your name in the damn hat or I’ll do it for you.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Steve rolled to his feet, chucking the socks back at Macy. “You need a girlfriend other than your right hand. You are entirely too invested in my sex life.”
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“Grace!” Danny yelled. “Let’s go! You’re gonna be late and then I’m gonna be late!” He checked his watch again. “Grace Elizabeth Williams!”
“Geez, Danno,” Grace said as she hurried down the stairs. “There’s no need to whip out the full name. I was coming.”
“I shouldn’t…” Danny paused as he got a good look at her. “What. Are. You. Wearing?”
Grace glanced down at her outfit, an almost knee length skirt and a tank top with a scoop neck that just reached the waistband of the skirt. “What’s wrong with it? Kono helped me pick it out.”
“Okay. You aren’t allowed to go shopping without supervision anymore,” Danny commented. “Put on a sweatshirt and let’s go.”
“Dan-no, it’s eighty-five degrees out,” Grace whined as he held out one of Steve’s Navy sweatshirts to her. She took the shirt with a pout and pulled it on. “When is Steve coming home?” she demanded as she followed him out to the car.
“Not soon enough, Monkey, not soon enough,” Danny told her. He pulled her to him, kissing the side of her head, remembering when he could easily reach the top. She was almost as tall as him now though and didn’t accept affection as easily. Both of them missed Steve (although for different reasons) though and she had become more clingy the longer the Navy man was gone. Danny knew some of it was worry that Steve wouldn’t come back, but every contact from him helped reassure both of them that he was fine. Danny tried to keep up her spirits when they didn’t hear and assure her that no news was good news.
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“Did you put your name in the raffle?” the voice came from behind Steve this time.
Steve turned, stopping the heavy bag before it hit him, and caught the eye of his buddy, Nick Taylor. “What’s it matter to you?”
Nick grabbed two pairs of gloves, tossing one towards Steve. “Just figured it’s something you’d want to do. Ya know what with having someone waiting at home for you and all.”
“What is this sudden interest everyone has in my personal life?” Steve demanded. “Danny and I are not joined at the hip when we’re home.”
“No, I’m sure you’re joined somewhere else,” Nick replied with a leer.
Steve rolled his eyes before slapping his hands together to make sure his gloves were on tight. “We sparring? Or you gonna make crude comments all day?”
“I can multi-task,” Nick answered. “So did you?”
“Did I what?” Steve asked, blocking the jab Nick threw at him.
“Did you put your name into the raffle?” Nick asked slowly as if Steve were a bit dense. “Seriously, man, what the hell?”
“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Steve responded. “If I did or didn’t. Now if you want to spar, fine. Otherwise, I have other things…”
“Lieutenant?”
Both men turned at the call and Steve replied, “Yes? What?”
“Chief wants to see you, sir,” the boy at the door answered.
“Guess you get out of getting your ass kicked,” Steve informed Nick with a grin. He tugged his gloves off, tossing them at the red headed man. “It’ll have to wait until later.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Run away,” Nick joked back as Steve followed the ensign out of the gym. Steve flipped the other man off over his shoulder.
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“Grace!” Danny yelled. “Would you answer that? My hands are wet!”
There was a heaved sigh from the other room and then he heard, “Kiwi!” He rolled his eyes at the high pitched screech that followed and then Grace’s excited chatter.
Grabbing a towel, he dried his hands as he made his way into the dining room where their laptop sat on the table. Leaning over so he could see the screen, he grinned to see the familiar face on screen. “Hey, sailor.”
“Hey, Danno,” Steve answered; his voice softening just a little.
“Are you two going to be mushy?” Grace demanded. “Cause I want my Steve time first if you are.”
The two guys laughed as Danny slung his arm around Grace’s shoulders, squeezing onto the chair next to her. “I can be mushy with you,” he told her, pressing a noisy kiss to her cheek and grinning as she pushed him away. “Why don’t you tell Steve about your trig test while I finish the dishes?”
It didn’t take him long to finish up the last of the pans and head back to the dining room, just in time to hear Steve and Grace making plans to go surfing when he returned. When Danny’s hand landed on her shoulder, she quickly blew a kiss to the screen and slid out of the chair, saying, “I’m going up to my room. And I’ll put my headphones on.”
Danny shook his head. “What does she think we’re gonna do?” he asked Steve as her feet pounded up the stairs.
“Well, I can think of a few things…but they aren’t really for public consumption,” Steve responded. “How are you doing?”
“Fine, Babe.” Danny leaned back in his chair, drinking in the sight of his boyfriend.
“Dan-ny,” Steve warned. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, McGarrett,” Danny told him. “I’ll just be glad when you’re home. Even if you’re taking my baby sister surfing.”
“She’ll be perfectly safe. It’s not like I’m taking her down to North Shore on the highest day of the year,” Steve pointed out. “And she knows how to surf.”
“I’m not gonna fight you on it. I just get tired of fighting her on it when you’re not home.”
“So have Kono take her,” Steve pointed out logically.
Danny sighed. “Kono…isn’t surfing. And I don’t want to get into it right now.”
“It’s fine. So we’re supposed to get into port on the sixteenth and I was wondering what the chances were that you and Gracie could be there?” Steve changed the subject.
“Now why would we want to do something like that? We wouldn’t want to see you or anything the day you got home.” Danny grinned. “Yeah, I think we could do that, Babe.”
Steve rubbed the back of his neck, a tell that Danny hadn’t seen since they were in high school. “Good. That’s…good. So they’ll um…they’re picking a few of the families to be at the front. Like right in the front so you’re the first thing we see when we get off the ship.”
“Are you sure?” Danny asked.
“I don’t have anything to hide, Danno,” Steve said quietly. “You and Gracie are my family. You have been since we met. Since the day I crashed into you.”
“All right then.” Danny smiled softly. “We’ll be there.” His smile widened at the memory Steve’s words evoked. “But no crashing into me this time. With my luck you’ll send me into the water.”
“I’d never,” Steve said in an offended tone. “And if it happened on accident…I’d save you.” His head turned for a minute as someone spoke to him off screen and then he was back, facing Danny. “I have to go. Give Monkey my love.”
“I will,” Danny promised, reaching out to touch the screen as Steve did the same. For a moment their fingertips touched on the screen and then Steve was gone. Danny leaned back in his chair, running his hand through his hair. With a sigh, he got to his feet to go see what Grace was doing. He’d have to send her off to bed soon, but there was still a little time before she needed to go. Maybe they’d head out and do something first.
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“Danno, you cannot wear slacks to go meet Steve. It’s just wrong.” Grace flipped herself over so she wasn’t looking at her brother upside down. “Wear jeans. Steve likes your…likes you in jeans.”
“I don’t want to know what you started to say. Nor do I want to know how or why you know Steve likes me in jeans,” Danny told her, but he reached for the jeans anyway.
Grace shrugged as she got gracefully to her feet. “It’s common sense. And anyway, do you want to be all formal when you welcome him home? Come on, Danno.”
Danny picked up the Nerf football and tossed it at her. “Could you let me get dressed please? I don’t need you staring at me.”
“Can I go out on the beach?” Grace asked.
“We need to leave within the hour so don’t get all sandy,” Danny cautioned.
“Steve would like it if I was sandy,” Grace pointed out, but she rolled her eyes at Danny’s glare. “Fine,” she sighed. “I won’t get dirty.”
“Good girl,” he told her, ignoring the look she graced him with. “I won’t be long.”
Once she left, Danny tugged on the jeans she’d recommended before moving over to the dresser. He’d felt weird the first few weeks sleeping in the master bedroom, but Jack had insisted that he and Grace needed more space than he did. So the older man had moved into garage which had been converted into an in-law’s apartment at some point. Danny appreciated having him close to help with Grace and to talk over police procedure with. When he’d invited him to go meet Steve had the port though Jack had declined, pointing out that Steve would want to see Danny and Grace first.
Danny fished the chain that held his dad’s dogtags out of the box on top of the dresser. Just before Steve had shipped out the last time, he’d presented Danny with a copy of one of his tags. Danny had added it to the tags he had taken off unless required since his dad had put them on him and worn the three almost constantly. Now he slipped the chain around his neck and grabbed a blue button up from his closet, shrugging into it. Grace could complain all she wanted about him being formal, but he wasn’t going to wear a t-shirt to the ship.
Grace was sitting on one of the beach chairs; her long legs curled up under her when he reached her. “You okay, Monkey?” he asked.
“Is Steve really coming home?” she replied.
“Oh, baby.” Danny scooted her over and then slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against her. “Yes, Steve’s coming home. And he’s gonna get to stay home with us for a little while. But some day he’s probably going to have to go out again. And we’re gonna be right here waiting for him and smiling when he calls us, no matter how much we miss him because that’s what he needs. Right?”
She rolled her head, looking up at him. “Of course.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Danno. Now can we go get Steve?”
He chuckled. “Yes, we can go get Steve.”
When he pulled up to the port, Danny took a deep breath. Looking over at Grace, who was clutching the lei she’d insisted on stopping to get when she’d seen the stand, he said, “Stay close to me, okay? I don’t want to have to send S&R out for you.”
Grace rolled her eyes as she got out of the car. “Dan-no, I’m not gonna get lost. Besides all I have to do is say I’m Lieutenant McGarrett’s sister and half the crowd will find Steve for me. It’ll be fine.”
“Still. Steve wants us up front, so I don’t want to lose you,” he cautioned.
“Should I hold onto your belt loops like I used to?” she wanted to know.
“I don’t think we need to go that far. My hand maybe.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I can do that.” She squeezed it lightly. “Steve’ll be happy to see you, too, Danno.”
Danny didn’t respond, just led the way through the crowd that had already started to gather; returning the greetings that were called out to them. Ahead of them he could already see the USS Port Royal was docked and there were sailors lining the gangplank, although no one was exiting yet. He could also see a roped off section and assumed that was the area Steve had told him about. Tugging Grace’s hand, he pulled her away from the conversation she’d started with a couple of kids her age and towards the cordoned off area.
“Come on, Dannoooo.” Grace tugged on his hand when he started to slow down as they neared the section. “They aren’t gonna wait forever and Steve wants us there.”
“All right, Gracie,” he chuckled a little at her eagerness, letting her tugging pick his speed back up. “I’m coming.”
He fished his wallet out of his pocket, showing his ID when they reached the section. They were waved in immediately, one of the women taking charge of him. “Aren’t you darling?” she cooed over Grace, who submitted to her fussing when Danny gave her a look. “You two come with me,” she insisted. “Right up to the front so your sailor can see you.”
Despite his misgivings, Danny allowed himself to be pulled forward until he stood at the very front of the crowd. When he looked around again, he was glad to find Grace had been pulled along with him. The petite brunette smiled encouragingly at him as a cheer went up. They both turned their attention to the ship as a blindingly white procession began to make its way down the gangplank.
Even as close as they were, they couldn’t hear the welcome to the crew, but Grace braced herself on Danny’s shoulder; standing on tiptoes as she tried to see if she could spot Steve among the uniforms. “I don’t see him, Danno,” she complained.
“Well, it’s kinda hard to pick him out, Gracie. Just be patient,” he soothed her.
A moment later there was a cheer and the ranks broke as they were apparently released to go find their families. Before Danny had a chance to really look for Steve, a familiar face appeared before them. Grace was bouncing up and down, squealing with glee, clutching at his arm. Steve swung her around, hugging her tightly before turning to Danny. “Hi,” he said.
Danny reached over Grace, cupping Steve’s cheek as he answered, “Hey, sailor.”
Steve cleared his throat. “So. I kinda won this raffle. For first kiss when we got back to port.”
“And?”
“Kiss him! Kiss him!” Grace bounced up and down between them, drawing good-natured laughter from the crowd surrounding them.
“You, hush,” Danny told her.
“Dan-no. It’s been two years since you’ve seen each other. Don’t tell me you don’t want to.”
“You are entirely too invested in my love life,” Danny informed her.
“You think she’s bad,” Steve commented. “Half the crew bugged me to enter the raffle.”
“Ste-eve,” Grace whined.
He turned to look at her as she tugged on his arm, obviously intending to reprimand her for whining. “Gracie,” he started as she reached up with the lei. Even with the height she’d gained while he was gone, she still had to stand on her tiptoes to reach over his head and he ducked to make it easier for her to slide the lei around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek.
“Welcome home,” she whispered as she went back to flat feet.
A chorus of groans came from the crowd around them and someone yelled out, “That’s not a kiss!”
Steve glared in the direction of the voice, before turning back to Danny. “They aren’t gonna let us go,” he started.
Danny reached up with both hands, grabbing Steve and yanking him down to his level. “Then we’d better give them their kiss,” he told the taller man before pressing their lips together.
The Navy man wrapped his arms around his partner to pull him closer, spinning him around as he deepened the kiss. The sounds of hollering and catcalls permeated their little world and they broke apart, both of them blushing. Danny ducked his head as Steve muttered, “Shut up. You pent-up perverts.” He winced as Danny smacked him, motioning to Grace who was bouncing on her feet. “What? It’s not like she hasn’t heard it before.”
“I don’t need you corrupting her more now that you’re home,” Danny pointed out.
“But you’re so glad to have me home,” Steve said, slinging an arm around Danny’s shoulders after grabbing his seabag from where he’d dropped it.
“Yeah, I am, Babe, I really am.”
Characters: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams, Grace Williams, Nick Taylor, Macy (OC), various other OCs
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Series: Honolulu 96731
Written For: Spring Fling
Prompt: First Kiss
Summary: After so long away from home, Steve is eager to see Danny again. He's just not sure he wants the guys to see how much he's missed the Jersey native.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Just for the rest of my series (including some things that haven’t been written yet)
Warnings: Fluff, Grace is adorable even as a teenager, Boys are dorks and incapable of expressing feelings without help
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me. “This Kiss” by Faith Hill also does not belong to me and I am sooo not making any money off any of this.
Author's Note: This is an Arc Three story in my Honolulu verse. I know I said I wasn’t going to write these out of order, but sometimes the prompts just work. Special thanks to my girls as always. Whogeek poked along with this one as I wrote it and gave me advice. Illfindmyway also poked along and also looked it over when I was done.
“McGarrett, you put your name into the raffle?”
Steve looked up as his bunkmate dropped onto his rack and shifted his own position so he wasn’t quite as squashed. His lanky frame never seemed to have enough room in the space they were allotted. In the two years they’d been deployed, he’d learned to adapt though. “What raffle, Macy?” he replied.
“For first kiss when we reach port,” Macy responded.
“Why would I enter something like that?”
Macy motioned towards one of the pictures Steve had tacked up next to his personal space; this one showing a smiling blonde with his arm around a darker haired girl. “You don’t think your guy’s gonna be at the dock waiting for ya?” Macy asked. “I mean when was the last time you actually saw him? Or maybe your little girl? Nothing says the kiss has to be a lovers’ kiss.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Danny does have his own job. There’s no guarantee that he can get that time off.”
Macy tossed a pair of socks at Steve who batted them away. “So you enter, you maybe win, and then. You ask him to get his ass to the docks. Dumbass.”
“Are you looking to get your ass kicked?” Steve wanted to know.
“Are you looking to get thrown overboard?” Macy replied. “Put your name in the damn hat or I’ll do it for you.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Steve rolled to his feet, chucking the socks back at Macy. “You need a girlfriend other than your right hand. You are entirely too invested in my sex life.”
“Grace!” Danny yelled. “Let’s go! You’re gonna be late and then I’m gonna be late!” He checked his watch again. “Grace Elizabeth Williams!”
“Geez, Danno,” Grace said as she hurried down the stairs. “There’s no need to whip out the full name. I was coming.”
“I shouldn’t…” Danny paused as he got a good look at her. “What. Are. You. Wearing?”
Grace glanced down at her outfit, an almost knee length skirt and a tank top with a scoop neck that just reached the waistband of the skirt. “What’s wrong with it? Kono helped me pick it out.”
“Okay. You aren’t allowed to go shopping without supervision anymore,” Danny commented. “Put on a sweatshirt and let’s go.”
“Dan-no, it’s eighty-five degrees out,” Grace whined as he held out one of Steve’s Navy sweatshirts to her. She took the shirt with a pout and pulled it on. “When is Steve coming home?” she demanded as she followed him out to the car.
“Not soon enough, Monkey, not soon enough,” Danny told her. He pulled her to him, kissing the side of her head, remembering when he could easily reach the top. She was almost as tall as him now though and didn’t accept affection as easily. Both of them missed Steve (although for different reasons) though and she had become more clingy the longer the Navy man was gone. Danny knew some of it was worry that Steve wouldn’t come back, but every contact from him helped reassure both of them that he was fine. Danny tried to keep up her spirits when they didn’t hear and assure her that no news was good news.
“Did you put your name in the raffle?” the voice came from behind Steve this time.
Steve turned, stopping the heavy bag before it hit him, and caught the eye of his buddy, Nick Taylor. “What’s it matter to you?”
Nick grabbed two pairs of gloves, tossing one towards Steve. “Just figured it’s something you’d want to do. Ya know what with having someone waiting at home for you and all.”
“What is this sudden interest everyone has in my personal life?” Steve demanded. “Danny and I are not joined at the hip when we’re home.”
“No, I’m sure you’re joined somewhere else,” Nick replied with a leer.
Steve rolled his eyes before slapping his hands together to make sure his gloves were on tight. “We sparring? Or you gonna make crude comments all day?”
“I can multi-task,” Nick answered. “So did you?”
“Did I what?” Steve asked, blocking the jab Nick threw at him.
“Did you put your name into the raffle?” Nick asked slowly as if Steve were a bit dense. “Seriously, man, what the hell?”
“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Steve responded. “If I did or didn’t. Now if you want to spar, fine. Otherwise, I have other things…”
“Lieutenant?”
Both men turned at the call and Steve replied, “Yes? What?”
“Chief wants to see you, sir,” the boy at the door answered.
“Guess you get out of getting your ass kicked,” Steve informed Nick with a grin. He tugged his gloves off, tossing them at the red headed man. “It’ll have to wait until later.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Run away,” Nick joked back as Steve followed the ensign out of the gym. Steve flipped the other man off over his shoulder.
“Grace!” Danny yelled. “Would you answer that? My hands are wet!”
There was a heaved sigh from the other room and then he heard, “Kiwi!” He rolled his eyes at the high pitched screech that followed and then Grace’s excited chatter.
Grabbing a towel, he dried his hands as he made his way into the dining room where their laptop sat on the table. Leaning over so he could see the screen, he grinned to see the familiar face on screen. “Hey, sailor.”
“Hey, Danno,” Steve answered; his voice softening just a little.
“Are you two going to be mushy?” Grace demanded. “Cause I want my Steve time first if you are.”
The two guys laughed as Danny slung his arm around Grace’s shoulders, squeezing onto the chair next to her. “I can be mushy with you,” he told her, pressing a noisy kiss to her cheek and grinning as she pushed him away. “Why don’t you tell Steve about your trig test while I finish the dishes?”
It didn’t take him long to finish up the last of the pans and head back to the dining room, just in time to hear Steve and Grace making plans to go surfing when he returned. When Danny’s hand landed on her shoulder, she quickly blew a kiss to the screen and slid out of the chair, saying, “I’m going up to my room. And I’ll put my headphones on.”
Danny shook his head. “What does she think we’re gonna do?” he asked Steve as her feet pounded up the stairs.
“Well, I can think of a few things…but they aren’t really for public consumption,” Steve responded. “How are you doing?”
“Fine, Babe.” Danny leaned back in his chair, drinking in the sight of his boyfriend.
“Dan-ny,” Steve warned. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, McGarrett,” Danny told him. “I’ll just be glad when you’re home. Even if you’re taking my baby sister surfing.”
“She’ll be perfectly safe. It’s not like I’m taking her down to North Shore on the highest day of the year,” Steve pointed out. “And she knows how to surf.”
“I’m not gonna fight you on it. I just get tired of fighting her on it when you’re not home.”
“So have Kono take her,” Steve pointed out logically.
Danny sighed. “Kono…isn’t surfing. And I don’t want to get into it right now.”
“It’s fine. So we’re supposed to get into port on the sixteenth and I was wondering what the chances were that you and Gracie could be there?” Steve changed the subject.
“Now why would we want to do something like that? We wouldn’t want to see you or anything the day you got home.” Danny grinned. “Yeah, I think we could do that, Babe.”
Steve rubbed the back of his neck, a tell that Danny hadn’t seen since they were in high school. “Good. That’s…good. So they’ll um…they’re picking a few of the families to be at the front. Like right in the front so you’re the first thing we see when we get off the ship.”
“Are you sure?” Danny asked.
“I don’t have anything to hide, Danno,” Steve said quietly. “You and Gracie are my family. You have been since we met. Since the day I crashed into you.”
“All right then.” Danny smiled softly. “We’ll be there.” His smile widened at the memory Steve’s words evoked. “But no crashing into me this time. With my luck you’ll send me into the water.”
“I’d never,” Steve said in an offended tone. “And if it happened on accident…I’d save you.” His head turned for a minute as someone spoke to him off screen and then he was back, facing Danny. “I have to go. Give Monkey my love.”
“I will,” Danny promised, reaching out to touch the screen as Steve did the same. For a moment their fingertips touched on the screen and then Steve was gone. Danny leaned back in his chair, running his hand through his hair. With a sigh, he got to his feet to go see what Grace was doing. He’d have to send her off to bed soon, but there was still a little time before she needed to go. Maybe they’d head out and do something first.
“Danno, you cannot wear slacks to go meet Steve. It’s just wrong.” Grace flipped herself over so she wasn’t looking at her brother upside down. “Wear jeans. Steve likes your…likes you in jeans.”
“I don’t want to know what you started to say. Nor do I want to know how or why you know Steve likes me in jeans,” Danny told her, but he reached for the jeans anyway.
Grace shrugged as she got gracefully to her feet. “It’s common sense. And anyway, do you want to be all formal when you welcome him home? Come on, Danno.”
Danny picked up the Nerf football and tossed it at her. “Could you let me get dressed please? I don’t need you staring at me.”
“Can I go out on the beach?” Grace asked.
“We need to leave within the hour so don’t get all sandy,” Danny cautioned.
“Steve would like it if I was sandy,” Grace pointed out, but she rolled her eyes at Danny’s glare. “Fine,” she sighed. “I won’t get dirty.”
“Good girl,” he told her, ignoring the look she graced him with. “I won’t be long.”
Once she left, Danny tugged on the jeans she’d recommended before moving over to the dresser. He’d felt weird the first few weeks sleeping in the master bedroom, but Jack had insisted that he and Grace needed more space than he did. So the older man had moved into garage which had been converted into an in-law’s apartment at some point. Danny appreciated having him close to help with Grace and to talk over police procedure with. When he’d invited him to go meet Steve had the port though Jack had declined, pointing out that Steve would want to see Danny and Grace first.
Danny fished the chain that held his dad’s dogtags out of the box on top of the dresser. Just before Steve had shipped out the last time, he’d presented Danny with a copy of one of his tags. Danny had added it to the tags he had taken off unless required since his dad had put them on him and worn the three almost constantly. Now he slipped the chain around his neck and grabbed a blue button up from his closet, shrugging into it. Grace could complain all she wanted about him being formal, but he wasn’t going to wear a t-shirt to the ship.
Grace was sitting on one of the beach chairs; her long legs curled up under her when he reached her. “You okay, Monkey?” he asked.
“Is Steve really coming home?” she replied.
“Oh, baby.” Danny scooted her over and then slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against her. “Yes, Steve’s coming home. And he’s gonna get to stay home with us for a little while. But some day he’s probably going to have to go out again. And we’re gonna be right here waiting for him and smiling when he calls us, no matter how much we miss him because that’s what he needs. Right?”
She rolled her head, looking up at him. “Of course.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, Danno. Now can we go get Steve?”
He chuckled. “Yes, we can go get Steve.”
When he pulled up to the port, Danny took a deep breath. Looking over at Grace, who was clutching the lei she’d insisted on stopping to get when she’d seen the stand, he said, “Stay close to me, okay? I don’t want to have to send S&R out for you.”
Grace rolled her eyes as she got out of the car. “Dan-no, I’m not gonna get lost. Besides all I have to do is say I’m Lieutenant McGarrett’s sister and half the crowd will find Steve for me. It’ll be fine.”
“Still. Steve wants us up front, so I don’t want to lose you,” he cautioned.
“Should I hold onto your belt loops like I used to?” she wanted to know.
“I don’t think we need to go that far. My hand maybe.”
She slipped her hand into his. “I can do that.” She squeezed it lightly. “Steve’ll be happy to see you, too, Danno.”
Danny didn’t respond, just led the way through the crowd that had already started to gather; returning the greetings that were called out to them. Ahead of them he could already see the USS Port Royal was docked and there were sailors lining the gangplank, although no one was exiting yet. He could also see a roped off section and assumed that was the area Steve had told him about. Tugging Grace’s hand, he pulled her away from the conversation she’d started with a couple of kids her age and towards the cordoned off area.
“Come on, Dannoooo.” Grace tugged on his hand when he started to slow down as they neared the section. “They aren’t gonna wait forever and Steve wants us there.”
“All right, Gracie,” he chuckled a little at her eagerness, letting her tugging pick his speed back up. “I’m coming.”
He fished his wallet out of his pocket, showing his ID when they reached the section. They were waved in immediately, one of the women taking charge of him. “Aren’t you darling?” she cooed over Grace, who submitted to her fussing when Danny gave her a look. “You two come with me,” she insisted. “Right up to the front so your sailor can see you.”
Despite his misgivings, Danny allowed himself to be pulled forward until he stood at the very front of the crowd. When he looked around again, he was glad to find Grace had been pulled along with him. The petite brunette smiled encouragingly at him as a cheer went up. They both turned their attention to the ship as a blindingly white procession began to make its way down the gangplank.
Even as close as they were, they couldn’t hear the welcome to the crew, but Grace braced herself on Danny’s shoulder; standing on tiptoes as she tried to see if she could spot Steve among the uniforms. “I don’t see him, Danno,” she complained.
“Well, it’s kinda hard to pick him out, Gracie. Just be patient,” he soothed her.
A moment later there was a cheer and the ranks broke as they were apparently released to go find their families. Before Danny had a chance to really look for Steve, a familiar face appeared before them. Grace was bouncing up and down, squealing with glee, clutching at his arm. Steve swung her around, hugging her tightly before turning to Danny. “Hi,” he said.
Danny reached over Grace, cupping Steve’s cheek as he answered, “Hey, sailor.”
Steve cleared his throat. “So. I kinda won this raffle. For first kiss when we got back to port.”
“And?”
“Kiss him! Kiss him!” Grace bounced up and down between them, drawing good-natured laughter from the crowd surrounding them.
“You, hush,” Danny told her.
“Dan-no. It’s been two years since you’ve seen each other. Don’t tell me you don’t want to.”
“You are entirely too invested in my love life,” Danny informed her.
“You think she’s bad,” Steve commented. “Half the crew bugged me to enter the raffle.”
“Ste-eve,” Grace whined.
He turned to look at her as she tugged on his arm, obviously intending to reprimand her for whining. “Gracie,” he started as she reached up with the lei. Even with the height she’d gained while he was gone, she still had to stand on her tiptoes to reach over his head and he ducked to make it easier for her to slide the lei around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek.
“Welcome home,” she whispered as she went back to flat feet.
A chorus of groans came from the crowd around them and someone yelled out, “That’s not a kiss!”
Steve glared in the direction of the voice, before turning back to Danny. “They aren’t gonna let us go,” he started.
Danny reached up with both hands, grabbing Steve and yanking him down to his level. “Then we’d better give them their kiss,” he told the taller man before pressing their lips together.
The Navy man wrapped his arms around his partner to pull him closer, spinning him around as he deepened the kiss. The sounds of hollering and catcalls permeated their little world and they broke apart, both of them blushing. Danny ducked his head as Steve muttered, “Shut up. You pent-up perverts.” He winced as Danny smacked him, motioning to Grace who was bouncing on her feet. “What? It’s not like she hasn’t heard it before.”
“I don’t need you corrupting her more now that you’re home,” Danny pointed out.
“But you’re so glad to have me home,” Steve said, slinging an arm around Danny’s shoulders after grabbing his seabag from where he’d dropped it.
“Yeah, I am, Babe, I really am.”
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