Archive of Our Own

It all started with Jack McGarrett's death. Steve had been in the middle of a mission at the time and hadn't learned about it until three weeks after the fact. He'd missed the funeral, but all the legal issues of the transfer of the head of the household were still waiting for him back in Hawaii. Steve mostly remembered sitting there numb in Joe White's office at Coronado while he put him on indefinite leave until he could get it all sorted out.

"I know it's not the best circumstances," White had told Steve before dismissing him, heavy hand squeezing Steve's shoulder. "But this is one of the most important events in your life. Try to cherish it."

And right, Steve hadn't even been thinking that far ahead, even though he knew it was going to come up. Because Jack McGarrett's death meant Steve was now head of the McGarrett clan and the law stated quite clearly that to run a Familia you had to be married.

Returning home felt strange. Steve had maybe stepped foot inside this house 5 times in the last ten years. And yet it was always exactly the same, nothing out of place, spotless, without even a stray spec of dust. Now there was dust and lots of it and Steve suddenly felt the weight of just how much work he had in front of him.

It was still Steve's first day back when Chin came down to offer his condolences and found Steve pouring over mounds of legal documents.

Steve didn't really know Chin that well. They'd met a couple of times when Steve had stopped home on leave, even though Chin was closer to Steve's age, he had been partnered with his father. But despite using a different last name, Chin was also a Kalakaua which made him part of one of the largest, most powerful clans on the island. Descended directly from Hawaiian royalty.

"Thanks, man, I appreciate it," said Steve, forcing a smile. "I know it happened weeks ago, but it just feels so sudden."

"Heart attacks are," said Chin sympathetically. "Do you want some coffee? I suspect I know this kitchen better than you do."

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be really great," said Steve, eyes already wandering back to the mounds of paper before Chin disappeared into the other room.

When he came back, Steve was busy frowning at a set of documents.

"Everything all right?" Chin asked sitting in the chair beside him.

"Yeah, Dad was always a good record keeper. Everything seems to be in order," said Steve tearing himself away from the papers. Pushing them together and setting them off out of the way and accepting the hot mug from Chin.

"Yeah?" asked Chin taking a sip of his own mug, "because you were looking at some of those papers like you were trying to burn a hole through them."

Steve sighed. "It's just last time I talked to Dad he was talking about setting me up, turns out he's already pretty much done it."

"Really?" asked Chin looking surprised.

"Guess he never mentioned it." Steve nodded to the pile of papers, "But it's all here, completed in triplicate. It just needs my signature for the go-ahead. The lawyer dropped it all off this morning."

"Huh," Chin reached for the top paper and looking it over. "I always thought Jack was planning on setting you up with a Kalakaua. There was talk about you and my cousin Kono for a while there. But this person's from New Jersey."

"Yeah, I guess his mom and my mom used to be good friends. He's male too. I mean, I don't mind so much, but it means no kids."

"Maybe it's not so bad. He's the same age you are, second born, divorced with a daughter. They're a good family, bigger than yours."

"Yeah, but his daughter will be the heir after I'm gone. I guess Dad thought it was a fair trade."

"You don't like it," said Chin.

"No. I don't like someone who's not a blood relative having control over Mary and everyone else."

"She's only 8," Chin pointed out. "She'll get to know Mary and any kids she might have. She'll meet your aunt Deb and the rest of the extended family."

"What if she's a sociopath?"

Chin barked out a laugh, "All 8 year olds are sociopaths. Trust me, I've had to take care of enough of them." He gave Steve a reassuring smile, "Besides, your Dad will have met them before agreeing. Nobody was a better judge of character than your old man, they'll be good people."

Steve nodded, looking a little less tense about the whole thing. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, you're right."

"So are you going to go through with it?" Chin asked. "You're head of the household now, you can call it off if you want."

Steve considered it. He honestly did. Look at marrying someone more local. But that could take months if not longer, even if he decided to go with another arrangement, and Steve wanted to figure out the financials, make sure Mary and Deb were set, and get back to work.

Really it didn't even matter if they didn't quite click, Steve would probably ship out a month or so after the wedding anyways. Just as soon as he got everything settled.

"Yeah," he told Chin, taking the paper and signing it. "I mean, I have to marry someone."

The Williams matriarch was a small sunny woman with bright blue eyes and a kind smile. And she startled Steve when he met her at the Honolulu International and the first thing she did was envelope him in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry about your father," she said. "He was a good man."

"Uh, thank you ma'am," said Steve awkwardly.

"Clara," Clara corrected him, finally releasing him and letting Steve take her suitcase. "None of this ma'am business, either. I know you military boys have trouble with that, but we're family now."

"Yes m--Clara," said Steve catching himself. "Would you like to get something to eat?" he asked putting her suitcase in the back of his truck. "I know it's a long flight."

"Actually I think I'd just like to sleep off the jet lag if that's alright."

Steve opened the door and helped her up into the passenger seat.

He couldn't help but think with a nervous thrill, the first step had begun. He was actually getting married.

Clara's purpose was simple. Just like Jack had gone over to New Jersey to vet this Daniel Williams, it was Clara's job to do the same for Steve before signing the rest of the papers and making the marriage official.

Steve missed his dad though. How could he not? He should have been intimately involved in this part of the process, acting as host and intermediary between Clara and Steve. Without him and as the only McGarrett currently on the island, it was up to Steve to pick up the slack, making sure Clara was looked after and entertained, while also fulfilling his own duties as a potential suitor and settle as much as he could about Jack's affairs before the wedding.

With any other Pater Familias Steve probably might have been in trouble, but Clara was kind and easy going and she continuously reassured Steve that this was just a formality.

And in between taking Clara out to see the sites, and having to recite various Williams family history the two of them would sit by the ocean with a mug of hot chocolate and watch the sunset, while Clara told Steve stories about his mother from when they were young before Clara's father had died thrusting her into a place of responsibility too young. How much harder it had been when Doris had started going to school in Virginia and the weekend trips they would take.

"So what's Daniel like?" asked Steve during a rare moment of downtime, finding Clara sitting out on the lanai one afternoon. They had a couple of hours before they were due at the governor's ball and it was a beautiful evening. Steve would have been happy to put it off indefinitely and just spend the night here. After being mostly off the island over the last 25 years he was finding actually participating in the local culture dull and stuffy. And definitely wouldn't be bothering if Clara hadn't been visiting.

"Oh you'll like him," Clara assured him. "I think you two will be fast friends."

"Yeah?"

"Though I may be bias, I am his mother after all," said Clara with a conspiratorial smile. "I suppose it can't be helped that he'll be moving out here after the wedding."

"I thought we'd live here," Steve told her honestly. It wasn't a decision he'd made consciously, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't imagine having a family anywhere else.

"It is a beautiful property," Clara agreed, staring out to wear black ocean met stars. "At least do me one favour."

"Yeah?"

"Let Danny work. His job is so important to him, and he does good work."

"What does he do?" asked Steve.

"He's a detective."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" asked Steve frowning. Didn't he have a daughter?

"Says the navy SEAL," Clara pointed out. It was a good point.

"If he wants to work, I won't stop him," said Steve conceding with a warm smile. It used to be a Domina working was considered taboo, but times were changing and Domina in the work force was becoming common place. Still detective work seemed a bit much.

"Wasn't Daniel married before?"

Steve wondered if his last spouse had had any issue with him working such a dangerous job.

"Not to a head of household, it was more of a love match." Clara explained. "Don't worry, there won't be any legal issues concerning his last marriage."

Steve felt an anxious knot form in his stomach at Clara's words. For some reason he didn't like hearing his fiance had been in love before. Would that make an arranged marriage harder? He wondered what had happened to his wife.

"Don't worry," said Clara warmly correctly reading the look on his face, "Danny understands what he's signed up for and he did it willingly. You two will be a good match."

Steve tried not to fidget in his suit while he stood beside Clara in the middle of the ornate gardens. He still remembered having to attend these sorts of functions as a kid, dressed in an itchy suit and sitting around bored having to watch Mary in fancy ballrooms or gardens while important people talked and danced around them.

He wasn't really surprised to find they weren't anymore interesting as and adult. But Clara worked the room expertly, and Steve found he didn't really mind following her around and watching as she charmed all the stuffed shirts. Then the governor herself came over.

"I'm so glad you could make it," she told Steve after introductions. "I was so sorry to hear about your father. I considered him a good friend."

"Uh...thank you ma'am," said Steve feeling a bit floored.

They were still talking a while later when Steve spotted Chin across the room with a couple women he didn't know. Clara caught him looking.

"It's alright," she said, "you've listen to us old people gab long enough, go see your friends."

"Are you sure?" asked Steve.

"Go, you're cramping my style," she said to him with a wink.

"Uh, excuse me," said Steve politely before breaking off from the group.

The two other women turned out to be Malia, Chin's wife, and Kono, his cousin.

"I hear we were almost married," she said by way of a greeting.

"That's the rumour," said Steve taking them in. He had to admit, he wouldn't have minded being engaged to Kono.

"What happened?" asked Malia.

Steve shrugged, he'd never even known.

"Your dad called it off, said he had a better offer." said Kono, "I'm good though. I'd rather not marry someone I've never met before, you know?"

Steve grinned, "That's pretty 21rst century of you."

"New world," said Kono.

A strange thought crossed Steve's mind, where even though he was the one who set all this motion, that he was a bit jealous of Kono for her continued freedom.

"Listen, there's a party up on the North Shore we're going to later," said Chin. "If you can lose your soon-to-be-mother-in-law we'll see you up there."

Steve arrived at the North Shore around 1am and it was packed full of half dressed surfers and hippies. Steve hadn't been to a party like this since his twenties.

When he found Chin, Malia and Kono they greeted him with a smile and booze.

"Think of it as one last night of freedom," Chin had told him passing him another beer.

"I'll drink to that," said Steve pulling off the cap for his Longboard and taking a long gulp. But instead of partying Steve pretty quickly found himself a bit further down the beach, far enough that the blaring music had been reduced to a steady distant pounding nearly drowned out by the sound of the surf.

Sitting on the rocky shore, he stared out at the black water and the sparkling sky wondering how it is he could feel so small.

Clara signed off on the wedding. A date was chosen, and it wasn't long before Williamses started arriving in droves.

Steve stared at himself in the mirror, wearing in his dress blues and fighting down butterflies when he heard from behind him, "You're gonna have to hustle if you're gonna get your ass out there in time."

"Freddie!" said Steve turning around with a grin. "I wasn't sure you'd make it."

"Just barely," Freddie admitted, stepping in and giving Steve as tight a bear hug as he could manage. "But I'm here to do my duty as best man and make sure you get up to that pulpit if I have to drag you there myself."

Steve couldn't help the wide grin, despite the nerves. His team was off training in Arizona and Joe was stuck in Coronado. But if Steve could have chosen anyone to stand with him for this, it would have been Freddie, hands down.

As he walked out of his dressing room with Freddie he couldn't help thinking, 'this is it.'

"Dad would have wanted to be here for this," Steve said to Mary while they were waiting for the ceremony to start. It had been so weird going through this entire process without him. He still hadn't met his fiance, still had no idea what to expect. But he knew he'd been vetted by Jack, just like Clara had vetted him. That he was the son of a good friend of his mother's and that this was something she'd wanted before she died.

Steve--well, Steve just had to trust his parents.

"I still can't believe you're willingly doing this," said Mary. "You must be out of your mind."

Steve laughed, a little too loud, and said, "Yeah, probably."

And then Freddie pushed Steve out to the front of the procession and the ceremony started.

It was a wedding on the beach at the Hilton where most of Daniel's guests were staying. Steve had to admit he was a bit more impressed than he should have been by the job the Williams family had done. As he looked around at all the pomp and fanfare he hoped nobody thought he was doing this for the money.

Steve stood at the end in his dress blues, heart pounding as Mary, Chin and Freddie all came down the aisle next to the strangers representing his fiance.

And then the music changed and Steve looked down to see Clara's arm hooked around a stocky blond man. Everyone stood and Steve stared trying to gleam any information he could as he walked down the aisle.

Steve had seen pictures of course, but it was always different seeing someone in person. He thought he looked very serious and maybe a bit solemn. But he didn't look angry or forced and when his eyes flickered up to Steve, he looked apprehensive, but not upset. Maybe relieved? Steve was slightly mesmerized by how blue they were.

Steve barely heard the ceremony over the sound of blood rushing through his ears, and everything he said was on autopilot. From agreeing to marriage to the exchange of gifts.

Daniel gave him a customary lit torch, and Steve returned it with own torch and water. And Danny renounced his old life as Steve listened in awe to Danny's strong Jersey accent, to the cadence of his voice. Even if he was obviously just reciting a passage from rote, with no strong emotion behind it.

The contracts were signed, and they kissed to seal the deal, before either of them ever exchanged a word.

And just like that they were married.

The reception afterwards at Steve's house was little better than chaos, with a loud traditional Hawaiian live band and dancing and most of the people Steve knew and loved, and even more people he'd never met before in his life.

And all Steve wanted to do was talk to his new husband. But neither of them seemed to get the chance in the long line of people coming up to congratulate them. And Steve felt odd introducing them to Daniel--Danny he'd corrected the first time--when he'd barely interacted with him himself.

They sacrificed a boar and cooked it in an emu, and people gave speeches and everyone ate and drank. Danny pretty quickly shifted over to his own family and friends, and since he wasn't going to be going back with them, Steve left him to it.

He and Danny had the rest of their lives. And wasn't that a rush?

Finally guests were starting to grow impatient and he and Danny were ceremoniously pushed over the threshold of Steve's house and right into master bedroom which Steve quickly realised was officially theirs now. The door slammed shut and Steve could still hear the party going strong outside and finally Steve had a moment alone to actually talk to his husband and he found he had no idea what to say.

Danny for his part wasn't even looking at Steve, he was focusing hard on the bed in front of them with a frown.

And right, that. Steve wondered how many people did that? Slept with their new spouses before they even had a chance to properly greet each other. Was this what his parents wedding night had been like? They'd seemed so in love before his mother's death.

Danny broke the silence first. "I guess we should...uh..." he did some vague hand motion and gestured toward the bed.

"If you want," said Steve.

Danny gave Steve a curious look, "If I want? It's..." he waved his hand around while he searched for the right word, "Consuetude."

"Consuetude?" Steve repeated.

"You know, established custom or whatever. You gotta problem with my vocabulary?" asked Danny.

And Steve had to hold back an amused grin. "No," he said shaking his head. Then, "Look, the marriage is legally binding whether we consummate it tonight or not, right? Besides," he glanced to the window where they could still hear the party going strong ouside, "it's not like anyone else will know the difference anyways."

Danny was looking Steve up and down like he didn't quite trust what he was saying, "You don't want to sleep with me? Is that you're saying?"

"Not if you're not comfortable with it," Steve said firmly.

He had seen Danny for the first time a few hours ago, but he was quickly finding he wasn't that hard to read. And Steve supposed that if he'd had his entire life uprooted and basically given to a stranger, he was then expected to sleep with, he'd feel pretty uneasy too. Besides Steve was a SEAL, he knew the look of someone willing themselves to do something that scared the shit out of them. And if Danny was having to mentally prepare himself, Steve didn't want anything to do with it.

He must have read right, because Danny visibly relaxed. "So what now then?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm beat," said Steve stripping down to his boxers. And he walked over to the bed. "I'm turning in."

And Steve unceremoniously collapsed on his side of the bed.

A few seconds passed, and already half out he felt Danny crawl into the bed beside him and pretty soon they were both asleep.

When Steve woke up the next morning it was quiet and warm with the early morning sun already beating down through the side windows. And when Steve looked over, Danny was still there, curled up on the far side of the bed facing away from him, breathing softly in and out.

For a long time, Steve just stared. Taking in the stocky build and the way blond hair melted into brown on the back of his head. And it suddenly hit home for Steve that he'd gotten married. That he was going to wake up next to this near stranger every time he was home.

Steve got up, moving carefully to avoid waking Danny and left for a swim.

Walking though the yard it was pristine. Absolutely no sign there'd ever been a party here last night, and Steve knew he had the Williams family to thank for that. They'd handled it all from set up to take down. And Steve was going to have to send Clara some flowers before she left.

When he got back in, Danny was up, sitting at his kitchen table with a mug of coffee and looking around a bit bewildered.

"Thinking deep thoughts?" asked Steve, toweling himself off, vaguely aware he was dripping all over the carpet.

Danny jumped, apparently he hadn't heard Steve come in. Then he got a better look at Steve, and Steve didn't miss the way his eyes lingered, just a second, and said, "You swim in that?" he motioned vaguely in the direction of the beach. "Is that safe?"

"You don't swim?" Steve asked.

"No," said Danny emphatically. "Not if I can help it."

"Well it's safe," Steve reassured him. "Besides, I'm a SEAL, I'm trained for it."

"You're a SEAL?"

Steve blinked, "No one told you?" He'd been wearing his dress uniform last night.

"They told me you were navy. I guess I just assumed you were assigned to a ship or something."

"Uh, no," said Steve, because he had no idea what else to say. "Lieutenant Commander, SEAL team 12."

"Oh," said Danny not looking very happy about it.

"Uh, so your mother tells me you're a detective. My dad was a detective. His partner comes around sometimes, his name is Chin."

"Yeah, I remember him from the wedding."

Steve had introduced Chin, Malia and Kono all at the same time in between herds of other people.

Steve wanted to ask about HPD, but figured Danny probably had it all under control.

"Look," said Danny, setting his coffee down. "I've been meaning to say, I mean I haven't really had a chance--I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't know your dad all that long, but he seemed like a good guy."

"Uh, thanks," said Steve. "He uh...he probably liked you a lot too. To approve you for--he's a hard man to please."

Danny frowned. "He never mentioned me?"

"He never mentioned any of it, I found out when I got home and the lawyers dropped off the documents." Steve shrugged, "He was--I dunno, he lived in his head a lot since my mom died. I think he just forgot to share things sometimes."

"Right," said Danny.

Yeah.

"Uh, I'm just gonna go get dressed," said Steve. "If you're hungry, there's oranges and pineapple in the fridge, I have yogurt, milk, cereal."

"Yeah, I saw what you had available," Danny sighed. "We're going grocery shopping later."

Steve smiled, "It's a date."

They had brunch with Danny's family and Mary and Aunt Deb. The table went right across the Hilton dining hall, and even though Steve had met them all at the wedding, had had to memorize their family tree, and history, it still boggled his mind that a family could be this large. Or this loud. Looking down the table and seeing various arguments and people talking over each other, how did they hear each other?

Danny though was quiet, sitting between Steve and his brother Matty and poking at his food. Matty teased him about the pineapple in the eggs Danny was eating around.

Beside Steve, Mary asked, "So what's your plan now? You gonna do a honeymoon or something?"

"You have a week until Grace arrives," pointed out Clara who was sitting across the table beside Aunt Deb.

"Imagine leaving Hawaii to go on a honeymoon," said Matty which got a few chuckles around them.

Steve looked at Danny trying to get a read, "We never really talked about it."

"You'd probably be better off taking the time to settle in," said Aunt Deb being practical. "It won't be so easy with an 8 year old running around."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, and he still had no idea what to expect with that. "Besides, I need to contact Pearl. Now that the wedding's over I need to get back to active duty."

"Already?" asked Danny. It was the first thing he'd said the entire meal.

"It'll be at least a few weeks," Steve reassured him.

"He needs to work, Daniel," said Clara.

And Danny just stabbed one of his eggs. "Right," he said. And Matty made a joke and the conversation moved on.

That afternoon they finished moving in the rest of Danny's stuff, Matty and Freddie both helping and after they were done Steve left Danny inside with Matty while he joined Freddie with a beer out on the lanai.

"So that's him," said Freddie giving him one last appreciative look as they stepped outside, and Steve gave him a playful punch in the arm to stop him. "What's he like so far?"

Steve shrugged. "Quiet. I mean he talks but--I dunno, I guess we don't have much to say to each other. Mostly it's been pretty awkward."

"You fucked him yet?" asked Freddie. Steve nearly choked on his beer.

"No," he said. And when Freddie looked surprised, Steve shook his head. "He seemed off last night. I thought we could take it slow."

"Well that's your problem right there," said Freddie. "It's gonna be awkward until you get it over with. It was the same with Kelly and me. We just sort of fumbled around each other until she finally jumped me."

"And how long did it take you?"

"Let's see, the ceremony ended at 4. So about...six hours? Give'r take?"

Steve rolled his eyes.

"I'm giving him some space," said Steve. "It's a big adjustment, he just transplanted his entire life. We have time."

"The rest of your lives," Freddie agreed. "But I'm telling you now, best way to clear the air is just do the dirty and go from there."

"God, you're a caveman, you know that?" said Steve shoving Freddie again.

That afternoon they got groceries, and Danny filled the cart up with various staples all the while muttering about SEALs who don't know how to stock a fridge while Steve just followed feeling dazed.

"Potatoes and rice," Danny told him, picking up a huge bag and dumping it into an empty corner. "So long as you have potatoes and rice in the house, you'll never go hungry."

"Right," said Steve following Danny towards the dry pasta and just wondering where they were going to put it all. "It wasn't me," he defended himself. "I'm just on leave. It was my dad's kitchen."

"How long have you been back now?" asked Danny.

"A month in a half."

"A month and a half?" Danny repeated. "A month and a half where you couldn't even be bothered to pick up some rice? What did you even feed my mother?"

"We managed alright."

Steve probably would have defended himself more but this was the most animated he'd seen Danny yet and if bemoaning Steve's inability to keep a properly stocked kitchen was what it took for Danny to actually talk, Steve would let him.

"She probably starved and was too polite to say anything. She's skinny enough as is," said Danny back.

"Oh my God, Danny, I fed your mom."

When Steve got home he watched in awe as Danny completely rearranged his kitchen.

"I'm never going to be able to find anything," Steve whined watching Danny work.

"Yeah, for those few weeks at a time you're apparently home, I can help you," said Danny transferring the silverware to the drawer closer to the sink.

"Leave usually lasts more than a few weeks," said Steve. "Usually. Unless I'm called back in." And yeah, he really wasn't helping his case here.

"And I don't see the point in a kitchen set up to accommodate someone who doesn't live here more than eight months of the year," Danny shot back. "It's not my fault whoever set this kitchen up didn't do it with a lick of sense."

Steve didn't really have an answer to that. Although he thought Danny might have just insulted his late mother.

"Well?" asked Danny, "Are you going to just stand there gobbing like a goldfish or are you going to help?"

"Right," said Steve, pretty sure he'd just lost this one. "Where do you want the glasses?"

That night was another party. The last one and the smallest, just close friends and family. Though Steve had invited Chin as a family friend. Who he spent most of the evening with, along with Freddie and Mary, and pretended not to notice all the hugs and 'I'm gonna miss you' speeches between Danny and the rest of his. Off on the other side of the room he could see aunt Deb chatting happily to Clara before it was her turn to go and give Danny the longest hug Steve had ever seen.

Steve felt a bit guilty, taking Danny away from them. Just to leave him himself in a month's time. Which was odd, since that had been the plan since the very beginning.

Slowly as the night wore on everyone trickled out, and Clara, surprisingly was the last to leave. She gave Danny one more hug and then one for Steve.

"Take care of my boy," she told him.

"I'll do my best," Steve promised.

"And you," she said to Danny, "I expect you to come home ever once in a while."

Danny grinned fondly at his mother, "I will, Ma."

"And you can call every once in a while, you know we did figure out Skype just for this."

"I will, Ma," Danny repeated. "And Grace too when she gets here."

One more hug, Steve thought Danny must have been hugged out by now, but he gave as good as got and reassured Clara one more time that he'd see her again soon. And Steve found himself selfishly wishing they could all finally leave already. And then felt guilty about that too.

They left. Early the next morning, too early for Danny to bother to see them off, along with Mary and Aunt Deb. Possibly even on the same flight as far as Steve knew.

Freddie had a few more days before deployment but he would be gone soon too. And finally it was just Steve and Danny.

Steve started his morning calling into Pearl while Danny cooked breakfast. He was halfway through a conversation with Joe White when Danny dumped a pile of blueberry pancakes in front of him.

"What's this?" he asked covering the phone mouth.

"Breakfast. Why? You don't like pancakes? Don't tell me you're one of those health nuts because I saw all the yogurt in the fridge when I got here," said Danny already heading back into the kitchen.

"I like pancakes," said Steve quickly.

"Then what's the problem?"

"No problem," said Steve.

"Alright then," said Danny and he disappeared to get the rest of it.

Steve found himself only half listening to Joe talk about training schedules and transports while he stared down at the warm stack of pancakes in front of him and tried to remember the last time someone had made him breakfast.

After breakfast and phone calls were taken care of Steve found Danny staring hard at his living room.

"I have four weeks of leave left," Steve told Danny. Because it seemed like it was important to tell Danny these things.

"How long will you be gone for."

"A month, training," said Steve.

Danny nodded, frowning.

"When do you start at HPD?" Steve asked. Because he was pretty sure he'd heard something about a transfer going through.

"Couple weeks," said Danny. "They just need time to process everything."

Danny was still staring at the living room. "How attached are you to that couch?"

The question took Steve by surprise. He'd barely looked at couch since he got back. "What's wrong with the couch?"

"It's ratty."

And yeah, it was a bit, but there was a knitted blanket thrown over top and it looked alright.

"And lumpy. I was sitting on it last night."

"It was my dad's couch," said Steve a bit put off.

And Danny looked over at Steve concerned. "Have you touched anything in this house since your dad died?"

"I like it how it is," said Steve defensively.

"Oh God, please tell me you've updated the master bedroom at the very least." Steve had barely opened his mouth when Danny cried, "Oh my God, are you serious?"

He walked off.

"Hey, wait, where are you going?"

"We are going to a furniture store," said Danny already heading to the door. He passed Steve his keys. "And you're driving because I still don't know where the hell anything is on this godforsaken rock."

"Wait! What's wrong with Hawaii?" Steve asked but Danny was already out the door.

"So how's married life treating you so far?" Chin asked two days later over beer at an old bar Steve hadn't been to since he was in his 20's.

It was mostly the same, even down to the tacky road signs lining the walls.

"I don't know where to start," said Steve. "I thought it was bad when he wasn't talking, but now he never shuts up. And everything is wrong. He doesn't like pineapple on everything, and he doesn't like the beach. And he hates all of my furniture, he's redecorating. which--by the way--was after he completely reorganized my kitchen."

Steve would have kept going, but when he glanced over at Chin and saw he was grinning like this whole thing was funny.

"Come on, brah, it's not so bad," he said. "So he's a bit irritable. You think about it, he just gave up his entire life to come live here. He doesn't know anyone and you, the only person he has any connection to within 50 thousand miles, is leaving in a month. Then you'll go back to your life just like it was before the wedding, and Danny will be stuck here still trying to rebuild his. So he's redecorating. That's good, it means he's trying to make the place his own."

Steve frowned, not really sure he agreed. It wasn't that he didn't want Dannny to feel at home, he just didn't understand why it had to come at the expense of his childhood home.

Maybe if Danny had asked instead of barreling through.

"You want my advice?" asked Chin. "Show him around the island from the point of view of someone who grew up here. Help him get out. I can get Malia and Kono and we can do a night on the town."

"Yeah," Steve took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Pizza and drinks maybe. I can ask Freddie if he wants to join in before he ships out."

"You could at least try and sound happy about it," said Chin. "It's a night out, not a funeral service."

Steve frowned. "I'm happy, maybe this is what I look like when I'm happy," he insisted.

"But?"

"You're really annoying, you know that?" said Steve. He huffed out a bit of air. "It's nothing, I'm just worried, I guess. I never wanted to be one of those guys you see stuck in a marriage with someone they hate."

Chin looked like he knew exactly what Steve was talking about. They'd all seen it. Those arranged marriages that had gone horribly wrong. Where the two of them can barely stand to be in the same room, both bitter and angry and usually having affairs they can't even be bothered to hide. Steve never wanted to be that.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," said Chin. "You've been living with him for a few days now. There's got to be something you like about him."

"He cooks," Steve admitted. "Mostly pretty well, except eggs. I don't know how someone can screw up eggs, but he does."

That earned a smirk from Chin. "And he calls his daughter every evening," said Steve. "It's sweet."

Usually Danny would slip out onto the lanai to call Grace, but last night Steve just happened to be near an open window just nearby and for a moment he barely recognized the soft tone saying "Hey, monkey," all joy and affection as he asked her about her day and reassured her they'd see each other again soon.

Steve had felt his stomach clench uncomfortably when he finished the call with "Danno loves you."

Steve was looking forward to that part, where Grace came and joined them, and Steve got to see more of that side of Danny.

"See, it's not so bad, you just need to give him time," said Chin.

And yeah, maybe Chin was on to something.

They ended up in a large circle booth at some little out of place hole in the wall that Chin recommended and Steve vaguely knew.

"The big thing about being married to a SEAL is you've got to be independent," Kelly told Danny from across the table. "It took me months to just accept that Freddie just wasn't going to be around to consult on every decision. Not that he's much help when he is around."

Freddie had an innocent look plastered on his face while Kelly shook her head half amused.

"Well if you need anything, Danny, you can always call us," offered Malia kindly.

Beside her Chin put his arm around her in a show of solidarity and Steve was suddenly very aware of the distance between him and Danny.

"What the hell is this?" asked Danny when the pizza came, picking up a piece of Hawaiian. "Why do you people insist on putting pineapple on literally everything?"

"Because it's delicious," said Kono without missing a beat, snatching the piece of pizza right out of Danny's hand and taking a large bite.

Danny rolled his eyes and took another piece despite the pineapple while Steve tried to figure out why it bothered him how quickly those two had clicked. Danny making friends was the whole point of this, wasn't it?

"And don't even get me started on spam, you're all crazy," Danny continued.

Steve was leaning back taking a sip of his beer and watching everyone rag on Danny when Freddie whispered in his ear, "So have you fucked him yet?"

Steve spit his beer all over the last half of the pizza.

The whole table looked shocked up at Steve. It was Danny who was in motion first with a bunch of napkins. "You're a neanderthal, you know that?"

"Man, that's just pathetic," said Freddie grinning, and Steve knew he wasn't talking about the mess.

After the pizza they ended up at a bar on the beach. Chin, Kono and Malia were regulars. Steve found himself squished right next to Danny thanks to Freddie, who since Steve's slip at the pizza place seemed determined to push the two of them together. Asking Danny questions about himself in rapid succession.

"How many siblings you got?"

"What's winter like in Jersey? It get cold there?"

"What kind of music do you like?"

And so on, peppered in with related stories about Steve including one memorable one in a classified country where Freddie had been nearly blown up by an IED covered by freshly fallen snow like this was normal drinking conversation.

And alright, Steve could admit he had no idea Danny used to play shortstop. Or liked Bon Jovi. Or that they both watched Chips. And Chin, Kono and Malia joined in and it wasn't really a surprise that Kono loved zombie flicks, it was a surprise that Chin liked to garden. And Kelly blew Freddie's secret that he's a massive sci-fi nerd. Though Steve remembered that one from when they were in high school together.

Slowly the night wore on and everyone got steadily drunker, and their tongues loosened up more, but Steve couldn't help but notice as the rest of the table got louder, Danny was getting quieter.

At one point Danny finished another beer and said, "I need to get some air. I'll be back in a bit." He pushed out his chair wandered off towards the beach.

He was gone half a minute before Freddie looked at Steve and said, "What are you waiting for?"

Reluctantly Steve abandoned his own drink and went after Danny.

When he got there, Danny was standing about a foot away from where the waves washed up were crashing up against the shore before slipping back into the sea.

"You alright?" Steve asked.

Danny shrugged, "Yeah, just a bit tipsy. Thought I'd come clear my head."

Steve resisted the urge to call bullshit. It had only been a few days, but he was already starting to learn that Danny gave a lot away in his tones. And this tone said 'I feel like shit, but I don't really want to talk about it, so would you drop it already?'

So Steve didn't push it. Thought it still felt too early to be pushing these sorts of things. Besides there was a warm breeze and the waves were making a soft roaring noise as they lapped up to the shore and it was too easy to just take in the night.

At some point Steve had stopped bothering to come home when he was on leave, preferring to stay at the base lodgings with his buddies, and having the ocassional dinner with people like Joe White who was easily a second father to him.

But he'd missed this, just being on the beach, smelling the salt in the air, and looking out at the vast expanse, that just traveled out forever.

"What direction are we facing?" asked Danny after a while and the question pulled him back into the moment.

"Uh, east," said Steve.

"Right," said Danny, nodding like that's what he'd thought.

That was when Steve figured it out. Danny was looking towards Jersey.

"Danny," and tomorrow Steve would blame it on the alcohol, because this wasn't a question he should probably ask. At least not this early, "why did you agree to this?"

Steve knew his own reasons but Danny had been married already, had a daughter, had had to move so far away from his life and everything he knew. What did he get out of it?

"It's kind of hard to explain if you're not a Williams," said Danny. Steve didn't disagree, he knew, despite the fact they were a respectable family, the McGarrett clan was pretty small and generally pretty laid back about all the politics stuff. His dad had always been concerned about being comfortable, about having what they needed. Less so about forging good connections and gaining status. Which was probably why he chosen to match Steve up with the family of an old friend of Steve's mother rather than Hawaiian royalty. It probably felt more right to him.

"I already ran away from a political marriage," said Danny. "When I was 19, instead of submitting to being vetted by their Pater Familias I ran off with a woman from Britain."

"They don't do arranged marriages in Britain, do they?" It was a random fact Steve was pretty sure he'd read in a snapple cap once.

"They think it's barbaric," said Danny. "At least Rachel did."

"Your wife," said Steve. And Danny nodded. "I can't imagine that went over well."

"It wasn't too bad. I mean, Ma was ticked. The whole thing made her look pretty bad. But there was never any question that after we eloped that Rachel would be part of the familia. Ma was mad at me but she adored Rach. Liked her wit, I think." Danny smiled fondly at the memory, then his face turned serious again. "After Rachel, I never thought I'd get set up again. I'm not in line to ever run a household, and people are usually looking for younger partners than me. And when the opportunity came up, I dunno, I felt like maybe it was time to actually do the honourable thing for once.

"It was a good deal too, Domina is a good position, better than what I had. You get to run a respected Familia, and it means Grace will be your heir, which gives her more leverage when it comes time for her to marry. And more freedom in general. Besides, she'll like Hawaii. She's going through a dolphin phase right now."

Somehow Steve hadn't actually expected a straight forward answer.

"You did it for Grace."

"For my family," Danny corrected him. "But yeah, mostly for Grace."

Steve felt a bit blindsided. He tried to imagine giving up his whole life for someone else and he wasn't sure he would do it.

"She's lucky," Steve told Danny. "Having a dad like you."

They were both drunk by the time they got home that night, and Steve collapsed on the bed fully clothed and promptly passed out for the night. He didn't notice Danny come to bed, and he was vaguely surprised when he woke up the next morning and he had a blanket over top of him and for the first time Danny, still asleep, was facing him.

For a while, Steve just watched him sleep. It was interesting, watching someone as animated as Danny be still. Because when Danny wasn't ranting or glowering, when his features were just soft and peaceful like this, Danny was actually pretty attractive. Especially with his hair all mussed up, which Steve knew would be properly greased back the next time he saw him. He had seen the neat row of hair products that now lined his bathroom that had never been there before they got married.

And then Steve felt his stomach turnover, and it was sheer force of will that got him to the toilet before he puked all over the bedroom floor.

A few minutes in Steve suddenly felt Danny rubbing his back as he heaved. "What did I say about mixing drinks?" he asked.

"Don't remember," said Steve once his stomach seemed have stopped revolting for a moment. "Don't remember much after the conversation at the beach."

Actually that was partly a lie, but Steve was going to forever deny remembering Freddie going into detail about how Steve got that stupid nickname from his time at BUD/s. Nobody needed to know that.

"Right," said Danny, snorting and Steve knew he didn't believe him. "You tell yourself that, Smooth Dog."

"Oh God," groaned Steve starting to wretch all over again.

Danny kept rubbing his back, "There we go, let it all out."

When Steve was done he turned over and sat back against the wall for a minute. "You know he exaggerates."

"Of course he does," said Danny placating. "You're just lucky you're pretty, Babe."

If Steve's stomach did another sudden flip when he said that, he tried to tell himself it was the hangover still.

"You get yourself washed up, I'll make some toast and see if I can find anything with electrolytes downstairs."

"There's coconut milk, in the back of the fridge," called Steve after him.

"Right, of course there is."

Chin came down later that day, looking bright and cheery, like he hadn't needed Malia to carry him home last night, with a box of cocopuffs in his hand.

"You are not allowed to say you don't like Hawaiian food until you've at least tried these," he'd said handing Danny the box.

Danny took a curious bite and Steve couldn't quite suppress his grin when Danny's eyes widened, and he let out a muffled, "Oh my God."

"I used to think for my last meal I wanted my mother's lasagna," Danny told Chin. "But these, these may be the single greatest thing I have ever eaten."

Steve enjoyed watching Danny wax poetic because Danny when he talked moved like a dancer, all graceful arm movements and perfect curve of his back. And Steve's grin was so wide he thought his face might crack.

And then Danny made a noise that was practically orgasmic, and licked the powder off his fingers and oh. oh no.

Steve quickly realised that the only problem with suddenly realising you wouldn't mind having sex with your husband, was that there didn't seem to be any indication Danny had any interest in having sex with him.

He spent the rest of the afternoon following Danny around like a lost puppy, enjoying keeping pace while Danny ranted about furniture deliverymen being on island time, and movers misplacing some of his boxes from Jersey while he tried to finish unpacking. And Steve was a little surprised at how much less he was suddenly bothered that Danny was screwing up his family home and realised that maybe he'd resented Danny's presence just a little bit when he'd first arrived.

But he'd gotten used to having Danny around surprisingly quickly. He remembered how quiet this house always seemed when he had some leave, with his dad puttering around, brain usually wrapped around some case he was working on like he was a zombie. But Danny seemed to fill the place up, make it feel alive again, and Steve really liked that.

And Danny cooked dinner every night. Steve was never going to miss reheated takeout for dinner when he could be getting a proper home cooked meal.

Steve managed right up until they were getting ready for bed before he finally broke. Danny was brushing his teeth and Steve was just reaching around him for the mouth wash when he asked, "So what are we going to do about sex?"

For a moment Steve wondered if he'd misspoke as Danny stared back at him through the mirror, mouth open with toothpaste dripping out. But no, this was the kind of thing that married couples really should talk about, especially an arranged marriage like theirs.

"What? You're just going to ask a question like that out of the blue?" Some toothpaste sprayed out of Danny's mouth and he wiped it off and rinsed out his mouth. "You know this is why your army buddies all call you smooth dog, right?"

"Navy," Steve corrected before he could think any better of it.

"Whatever," said Danny. "You are missing the point, which is that it is not nice to startle someone with a request like that. Most people try for a bit of finesse instead of barreling through like an animal."

"We are married," Steve pointed out, following Danny out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. "Eventually--"

"Yes, eventually," Danny agreed, interrupting him. "But it's been what? Five days since I've even met you? Two since you've stopped glowering at me most of the time."

"I have not--"

"Oh yes you have," Danny interrupted him pointing a finger into his chest. "Though not in earnest until I started fixing up this place."

Steve opened his mouth to argue, except well...maybe he had been glowering a little.

"Thank you," said Danny, even though Steve hadn't actually conceded anything. "I'm just saying, it's a little fast, don't you think?"

Steve didn't. It wasn't like he was asking Danny to fall in love with him or anything. Still Danny looked surprisingly freaked out by the idea. And he was watching the bed uneasily. And Steve knew if he'd ask, Danny would do it. That Danny understood it was part of his responsibilities and that it had to happen eventually.

"Alright," said Steve. "There's no rush."

Danny relaxed and Steve pretended that it didn't sting, just a bit.

"You know," said Steve, looking around the room. "My grandmother told me a story, when she first got married to my grandfather. She was 18 and he was 25 and she was scared out of her mind. And my grandfather," Steve finally found them, in the top drawer of his father's desk. And he paused to pull out a chain of dog tags, "he was navy too. And he put these dog tags across the bed," and Steve laid the dog tags down in the centre of the bed, "and explained that this was his side, and that was her side. And he promised, he would never cross over onto her side of the bed."

And Danny stared for a moment after Steve had finished his story. "That's a sweet story and all, but you know I'm not some blushing bride here," he told Steve.

And the image that appeared in Steve's head was so weird that he almost started laughing. "I don't think anyone could ever accuse you of that," Steve reassured him grinning. Then more seriously, "Look, Danny, for whatever reason you're having issues with this," he gestured vaguely at the bed and placed them down in the middle. "So let's take the pressure off. We'll do this, but we'll wait until you're ready."

Danny was quiet for a long while, just staring at the bed and the dog tags. Until finally he looked back at Steve, face carefully blank.

"Yeah, dog tags on the bed. I'm sure that's not going to be awkward at all," said Danny, but he definitely looked relaxed and Steve was pretty sure he'd done the right thing.

Steve went with Danny to pick Grace up at the airport where he found himself standing beside Danny, obsessively double checking every single kid they saw walk past with Danny to see if it was her. Until finally a bright looking kid with long brown hair tied in pigtails appeared, walking beside a flight attendant and Danny's whole face lit up as he rushed over to meet her, picking her up and spinning her in the air when he did.

One full week, and Steve was pretty sure he'd never seen Danny smile that wide once.

"Grace, come meet Steve," said Danny, pulling her over by her hand.

Grace hid shyly behind her dad and Steve had to crouch down to be eye level with her.

"Hey, your dad talks a lot about you," said Steve with a friendly smile.

Grace poked her head out and watched him cautiously, "He talks a lot about you too," she confessed.

Steve's heart did a weird flutter and his face broke into a grin. "Yeah?"

"We commiserate," Danny interrupted. "It's a father-daughter thing."

Steve held out his hand to shake with Grace, "I'm pleased to meet you."

And Grace looked unsteadily for a moment before she rushed forward and gave Steve a big hug.

Steve hadn't realised before there were fathers like Danny. Who were basically inseparable from their daughters, talking, playing, lightly nagging. The whole next week seemed to pass in a blur as they worked hard to set up Grace's room and register her for school, the same time Danny was making sure everything was ready for him to go into work the next week, all squished in between playing down at the beach and late evening movies. Steve thought it was honestly one of the best weeks of his life.

Then Monday hit and Danny dropped Grace off at her new school on his way to work and Steve suddenly found himself in an empty house, feeling lost as he wandered around for something to do. But everything was unpacked and put away and the house was spotless. Steve found himself wondering what had he'd actually done those first weeks after he got home.

He took a moment to look around and it didn't even look like the same house anymore. Between Danny's changes and the arrival of Grace's things, which had added a dash of pink everywhere she'd left something. Steve went and sat on the new couch, not ratty at all, and actually pretty comfortable, and just took it all in.

For the first time since he was 15, this living room really felt like a home.

That evening Danny brought home his new partner, Meka, his wife Amy, and their son Billy for some barbecue and a few beers on the lanai. Meka seemed like a good guy, quietly competent, killer dry sense of humour, and him and Danny just clicked.

Steve hated him.

"Cop partners," Amy had said halfway through the evening after she'd caught him glaring. "They have their own special bond. You get used to it. But you're army, right? I'm sure it's similar with your teammates."

"Navy," Steve corrected absently.

Amy didn't even seem to notice. "Though if they ever cheat on us together, I'll help you hide the bodies."

Steve did however really like Amy.

By Thursday it felt like they were falling into a steady routine and Steve was looking forward to another week of it when he got a phonecall from Pearl.

"I leave on Saturday," he told Danny when he put the phone down.

"What? I thought you had another week."

Steve wasn't sure what to say, "It's the job. Everything's pretty nebulous until you actually get on the plane."

Danny's eyes went dark. "Right. Of course it is." And stalked off.

"Hey, Danny!" Steve followed, "Come on it's not my fault."

"No, of course it's not your fault," said Danny, keeping his voice low to keep from waking Grace up, but still managing to sound pretty pissed. "It's nobody's fault, because if it was somebody's fault I'd be allowed to be pissed off. But no, it's just what it is so I'm just supposed to smile and send you on your way, and just wait patiently like some some pathetic war bride."

"Come on, you're not a war bride, Danny," said Steve.

"But I'm stuck sitting around waiting for you 8 months a year," Danny pointed out.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Steve. "Resign? Go AWOL?"

"I don't know," yelled Danny suddenly. "I just want to be mad for a minute, can you let me have that?"

So Steve gave Danny some space, going up early to check on Grace and turn in for an early night. And he didn't know what Danny did but he looked like he'd calmed down a bit when he crawled into bed beside him, waking him up, a few hours later.

"Mmf," muttered Steve rolling over and opening is eyes a bit.

Danny had a bit of a far off look. "I should apologize," he said.

"Can you do it tomorrow?" asked Steve, still not entirely awake.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Look, I need to say this, alright? And tomorrow I might lose my nerve, so you can lose a couple minutes of beauty sleep and listen to me."

And alright, Steve yawned and rolled over to face Danny. "What's up?"

"So you know I used to be married. Anyone ever tell you what happened with that?"

Steve shook his head.

"Yeah, well one day I thought everything was fine. Well not fine, we'd been fighting a bit, but we'd fought before, y'know? Sometimes couples fight. I don't even really remember about what. To tell you the truth, I don't think she really wanted to be married to a cop. I think it got to her. Well one day I come home, and she's gone. Like gone, gone, her stuff, her car, not even a note. Turned out she ran off to Vegas with some guy named Stan."

"That's rough," said Steve trying to look sympathetic and not yawn in the middle of his story.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "Took a while to get past it, and let me tell you, if it wasn't for Grace--point is I might have some issues going on, here. And alright, I agreed to this whole marriage thing, but I thought arranged marriages like these, where you don't even know the other person, they're more a partnership anyways and I'm just hoping you're not gonna be someone I'm gonna hate, you know?

"And then I actually meet you, and you've got to be so dammed perfect about everything. And then suddenly you seem actively interested in me, with that stupid dorky smile--"

"You like my smile?" asked Steve, grinning and ignoring the way his heart suddenly started pounding.

"You're missing the point," said Danny rolling his eyes, which only made Steve smile wider. "The point is what if I fall for you? And that would scare the hell out of me normally. But then you've got to be this goddamned SEAL, who's not even home over half the year."

Steve's stomach lurched uncomfortably.

"I'm not going anywhere," Steve reassured Danny.

"When do you ship out?"

"I need to report to the base day after tomorrow at 0600h," said Steve.

"That's soon."

"Yeah."

Danny was staring at Steve, eyes far away like he's thinking hard about something. And then he leaned over, and Steve heard the rustle of the dog tags as Danny moved over them and kissed Steve softly on the lips.

It wasn't like their first kiss at the wedding. That had been quick and chaste and Steve barely even felt it, too distracted by his own nerves.

This was deep, and slow, and Steve let Danny slowly explore as his hand came up and held Steve's chin. Steve had never had sex quite like this before. This was achingly slow as the two or them just took the time to explore. And Steve did his best to memorize everything about the body underneath his, facial expressions, smells, the way he tasted like sweat and hair gel when Steve licked the area behind his ear and the exact way tasting it made Danny's breath hitch.

And when Steve woke up the next morning, Danny was pressed up against him, arm curled around his waist, well past the dog tags laying forgotten still on the other side of the bed.

Danny's alarm went off and he shifted against Steve and rolled over to turn it off.

"Good morning," said Steve.

"Mrrmg." Danny shoved his face hard into the back of Steve's neck. "Don' wanna move."

"Don't," said Steve. "Call in sick, spend the day with me."

"Mmm, don't tempt me," Danny breathed hot air into Steve's neck.

"I'm serious," said Steve, turning over to face him. "Let's take a day." He brushed some loose hair out of Danny's face. "Before I have to leave."

"I would," said Danny. "But we're in the middle of a case, and the wife knows more than she's saying, and I need to press it before Monday, and really Steve it's just not good timing."

Steve withdrew.

"Oh come on, don't pout," said Danny.

"I'm not pouting."

"You're pouting," Danny repeated. "Look, I'll be back at five, we'll have a nice dinner with Grace. Have an evening together, and once she goes to bed..." Danny looked down the length of Steve's body.

"I like where this is going," said Steve, leaning in for a kiss, that ended with Danny pulling away to get up and Steve following as far as he could.

"I said tonight, and I mean that," Danny repeated. But there was a smile playing on his lips now, and a look of absolute fondness before he disappeared into the bathroom and Steve felt a this odd happy bubble rise up in his chest.

Steve spent most of his day getting ready for tomorrow. Getting all his gear together and washing the fatigues he never quite got to over the past couple months.

Packing, he reached for a few personal belongings. Not much, a couple books, some photos, a dorky picture book on seals (the sea mammal kind) Mary had given him when he'd completed his BUD/s training, and then he stopped himself when he realised he could leave them here.

And slowly he emptied his bag a bit. Just what he needed.

He picked Grace up at three and listened to her talk about an upcoming field trip. And when he mentioned he was leaving tomorrow when she asked if he'd sign the permission form, she got so mad at him she went to her room and slammed the door and refused to come out. And who knew kids could form an attachment that fast.

Danny got home to find Steve upstairs, sitting in front of Grace's door trying to talk her out, and looking at Danny a little desperate.

"Do I want to know?" asked Danny.

"I told her I was leaving tomorrow," said Steve. "I swear that's all I did."

And Danny pinched his nose and he patted Steve's shoulder, "Do me a favour, take some hamburger out to thaw, I'll be down in a bit."

"Danny?"

"It's fine, Babe," Danny reassured him. "I've got this."

Halfway down the stairs, Steve heard Danny knocking and speaking softly as he walked into the room. He went and found the hamburger in the freezer and let Danny do his thing.

It took twenty minutes before Danny came back down, Grace in tow looking sullen but apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I know that this is part of your job and you sometimes you have to leave soon without--" her face wibbled a little bit, "without warning." More wibbling and a few tears, "I don't want you to go," she said rushing over to him. "We just got here."

Steve got down on a knee and let her cry into his shoulder a bit. "Oh hon', it's just for a month. And I'm going to call as often as I can, alright?"

Grace sniffed, and nodded into his shoulder.

"You are going to spend the next month settling into your new school and your new life, and I am going to be back before you know it," Steve reassured her.

Grace calmed down pretty quickly after that. Even if the mood around the house that evening was pretty sullen overall.

It was the first time Steve had ever not wanted to report in for duty.

"Finally," said Danny that night, once they'd finally made it to bed. After Grace had finally been calmed again and settled in for the night.

Danny looked at Steve and grinned and said, "I've been waiting for this all day," before leaning down and kissing him. This was more like what Steve was used to as Danny pretty much tackled him onto the bed, kissing Steve like he might die if he had to stop.

Steve had only just managed to push Danny under him when he heard the sound of the door creaking open and Steve was so startled he nearly fell off the bed.

"Honey?" asked Danny as Steve turned to see Grace standing in the doorway in her little pink night gown.

Steve just thanked the Gods they were both still dressed and made a mental note to install a lock on the door as soon as he got back.

"I couldn't sleep," said Grace, already climbing up into the bed between them, right where until last night had sat Steve's grandfather's dog tags.

"Monkey," Danny started but Steve caught his eye and shook his head. She was already half asleep and Steve couldn't help but remember those same nights when he was a kid and his dad was about to ship out for another long tour.

"I don't mind if you don't," he said quietly to Danny.

Danny sighed, but he smiled softly at Steve. "Yeah, alright, Monkey, but just for tonight, OK?" he told Grace.

Grace nodded, and curled up with her little stuffed bunny and a second later she was out.

When Steve woke up the next morning Grace was sandwiched tight between them, and Danny had his arm across them both.

Steve never wanted to move again.

They both went out with him to the base where the plane was waiting. Steve crouched down to give Grace a fierce hug, wondering how he could have become so attached to a kid after only knowing her two weeks. Then he stood up giving Danny a quick kiss.

"I'll call," he said. "And we can set up a few Skype chats. And you have my email."

"Go," said Danny, pulling him closer as he said it. "Go and we'll be here when you get back."

And Steve considered as he sat down on the plane on its way to Arizona that this really hadn't been the plan. Steve was supposed to go back to Hawaii, get married, get them settled in, and then he was supposed to go back to his life.

Except here he was, about the reunite with his team and instead of coming home, Steve felt like he was leaving. Found himself already figuring how many days it would be before he got to reunite with Danny again.

It had never been his intention to fall in love, but he could definitely see himself heading down that road already and that was a bit terrifying.

"Kelly's been by a lot," said Danny on Steve's laptop screen. "She told me not to let you get away with any excuses about being too busy to call, Lieutenant Commander, because you're the one setting the schedule."

Steve grinned, "It's not that simple," he told him. "But I'm trying my best. What else have you been up to? Am I going to recognize the place when I get back?"

But before Danny could answer, a large man with in fatigues with a shaved head appeared behind Steve jostling him out of the way, "Is this new hubby? Can't believe we missed the wedding. You couldn't have waited a couple weeks, man?" To Danny he said, "We would have shown you a good time." Winking.

"Danny, meet chief petty officer Brax," said Steve flatly. "He isn't always this bad."

"Yeah, I'm usually worse," said Brax with a wide grin.

Steve shoved him, and Brax called out, "Hey, come meet the Commander's hubby!"

And suddenly Steve's small office was full of large hulking guys jeering and wolf whistling at the screen and elbowing Steve. And it was the look of panic on Danny's face that made Steve stand up and yell, "Attention!"

And just like that, the jokes stopped and the entire group of them lined up.

"It is not becoming of Navy SEALS to jeer at their commanding officer's new husband. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"The next person I see making him uncomfortable will spend the night cleaning out the head with a toothbrush. Are we understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir."

"Dismissed!" Yelled Steve, and they all started jogging off single file. "Hut, hut, hut," said Steve hurrying them along.

When he looked back at Danny he was looking a bit shell shocked and Steve sank back into his office chair, a sheepish look on his face.

"So that's your team, huh?" asked Danny.

"Pray for me?"

When Steve got back, he was greeted with a high pitched scream the moment he stepped off the plane.

"Steeeeeve," called Grace running right into his arms.

"I'm right here, kiddo," said Steve shifting his bag and lifting her high into the air.

Grace wrapped her arms tight around Steve's neck.

Steve looked out and he could see Danny nearby with the other family members with a warm smile on his face and Steve couldn't believe how much he'd missed him. He carried Grace over and gave him a kiss which lasted until Grace cried, "Ew, gross," into Steve's ear and he had to stop from laughing.

"I missed you," said Steve, then, turning to Grace, "Both of you."

"It's good to have you back," said Danny.

Steve really didn't recognize the place when he got back. It looked like Danny and Grace had exploded all over everything. It wasn't exactly messy, more busy. But gone was the tidy, everything in its place house that Steve had left behind.

Absently Steve took one of Grace's dolls, left haphazardly on the coffee table and put it away in her room. Then he put the remote back in front of the television where it would be easy to find and noticed a thin film of dust.

Steve blamed his military training that he spent his first day back cleaning the house properly while he waited for Danny and Grace to come home that evening. Instead of just the shallow tidying that Danny seemed to do.

Danny was so offended he put the dog tags back on the bed and slept facing the wall, despite Steve trying to explain (which mostly just made it worse). And Steve supposed he was lucky Danny hadn't made him sleep on the couch.

Steve barely saw Danny over the next week. Him and Meka were working on some big case involving long hours and long nights running stakeouts and when Danny was home, he barely had the energy for a quick meal, a movie with Grace and bed. And Steve found himself playing single parent, driving Grace to and from school, then cheerleading practice, then tennis practice and for the first time in his life, having to figure out how to cook a healthy meal for a kid.

Steve was enjoying the bonding time with Grace. She really was a great kid, but he really hoped Meka was enjoying the time he was getting to spend with Danny, because at least one of them should be.

It all came to a head when Grace asked if she could go to a sleepover and her friend's Mia's house, and Steve couldn't get a hold of Danny. He let her go anyways after a brief conversation with her mother and an exchange of phone numbers.

"What do you mean you just let her go!?" Danny demanded when he got home at 10pm that night.

"I tried to reach you, I tried for an hour," said Steve. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Tell her no," said Danny like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's just a sleepover, Danny. She's still new here, she's still trying to fit in."

"Says the man who hasn't even been home in over a month."

"I've spent plenty of time with her this past week. Enough to see the obvious," Steve shot back.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Danny.

"Nothing," said Steve quickly. "It doesn't mean anything, except that I can see she's lonely. You'd see it too if you'd been around at all."

Danny looked like Steve had slapped him.

Steve slept on the couch that night. The decision was mutual.

They picked Grace up together at 9 the next morning, neither of them still speaking to the other. They were a little early, but not much. And Grace came running over with a wide grin hugging them both in turn and it didn't matter as much that they weren't speaking on the way back, because Grace filled the silence easily detailing every last thing that happened at the sleepover.

Danny had to go back into work that afternoon and when he finally got home around 7, Steve didn't even wait around before grabbing his keys and running off to meet Chin at the bar.

"It figures," he said over a beer. "Danny finally gets some time off and I don't want to see him."

"Marriages are hard enough normally, it's even harder when you have to leave for long periods at a time," said Chin sympathetically.

"What are you talking about? This isn't about the training trip to Arizona," said Steve. "This is about some stupid sleepover."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Chin. "Right after Malia and I first got married, she went overseas to work for Doctors without Borders. She was gone for months at a time, and every time she came back we'd have a blow out fight. We almost got divorced."

Chin and Malia always seemed so solid, Steve had trouble believing it.

"Divorce isn't an option for arranged marriages."

Technically speaking, it could be done. But it was such a complicated messy affair, not to mention shameful. Steve might be angry but he didn't hate Danny enough for that.

"And you going away for long periods isn't temporary either. So you should probably figure this out."

When Steve got home he found the outdoor light had been left on for him and Danny was sitting on the kitchen table, going over some kind of paper work, probably involving his case. The house was eerily silent.

"Grace missed you when I put her to bed tonight," said Danny.

"Sorry," said Steve, he did feel guilty about that. He was going to have to do a better job of keeping his temper from impacting Grace.

"Don't apologize to me."

"Right," said Steve. "I'll talk to her in the morning."

Danny nodded, and gathered up whatever it was he was working on. "Look, we need to talk," he said.

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "We should have established ground rules for these sorts of things. And I shouldn't have assumed. But you're not a single father anymore, Danny, I had every right to let her go."

"Yeah, well, no harm done," said Danny, and Steve blinked. He'd been ready for a fight. "But you're right, we need to figure these things out. I'd rather not find out when I get home after a long day at work that my daughter is at a stranger's house."

Danny glanced at the table across from him, "Sit down."

Steve sat.

"Here's the thing," said Danny. "I like my job. I'm also pretty damn good at my job. And since Rachel, I haven't exactly had a lot going on for me. I know it's selfish, especially with a daughter with the hours I have, with the risks involved. But I need this. I love Grace, she's the most important thing in the world to me. But she can't be my entire life. I need to get out of the house, feel like I'm contributing somehow."

"Danny," said Steve, "I don't think you're being selfish."

Danny didn't look like he believed him.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to work, Danny," said Steve. "And I don't exactly have room to complain about dangerous jobs."

"Yeah, but it's not the same thing, and you know it," said Danny.

"Your mom thinks it is," said Steve.

"Alright, now I know you're screwing with me."

"It came up when she was staying here. She wanted to make sure I was okay with you working."

Danny looked a bit dazed. "Huh," he said after a while.

"Honestly, I think she's proud of you," said Steve. "And more importantly, I know you're a good father. I've never seen a Dad as devoted as you are to Grace. I never should have implied otherwise."

Danny leaned back and groaned, "You probably think I'm an idiot."

"You've really got to stop assigning opinions to me, Danno," said Steve seriously.

"How about we just wipe away this whole thing, and start again from the moment you got home," said Danny.

Steve grinned. "Yeah, I think we can do that."

"You know what the best part of fighting is?" asked Danny already standing up and moving around table towards him.

"Yeah?"

"Making up," said Danny leaning in for a long kiss. "Mmm, there's a lot of things I've been wanting to do to you since you left last month."

"Oh?" asked Steve before kissing Danny again. He was never going to get used to kissing Danny. To being allowed to just lean forward and touch lips. "Like what?"

"Come upstairs and find out."

Steve thought Danny was right, making up was definitely good.

"I don't wanna fight every time I come home," said Steve later that night, cuddled up to Danny. Armed wrapped tightly around Danny like he never wanted to let go.

"Then don't," answered Danny already sounding half asleep. Steve could feel his low voice vibrate against his chest.

"You think it's that easy?"

Danny surprised him by answering, "No. Not really." He opened his eyes to look down at Steve. "But we need to try, right? How long you gone next time?"

"Three months."

"Three months?" Danny was awake now, shifting into a sitting position. "That's--dammit that's just a long time."

"It's the longest one," said Steve quickly trying to reassure him. "Until our actual deployment at least. And you and Gracie can come visit this time, if you can get the time off work."

"That a dig?"

"Fact, Danno," said Steve impatiently, really not wanting to fight again.

"Danno?" asked Danny.

Steve looked up at him. "It's what Grace calls you."

"Yes," Danny agreed. "The key word word there being Grace."

"I think it's cute," said Steve.

"Once again, the key word here being Grace. It's cute when Grace does it. And what are we even doing talking about stupid nicknames here? Don't get off topic, we are talking about the fact that you are about to disappear on us for three months."

"I don't make the schedule," said Steve, "I just go where they send me. And I'm not 'about to'. The next training deployment is ages away."

"Not so far as all that," Danny countered.

"Well maybe we'll just have to make the most of the time I have here," said Steve, grinning playfully, wrapping a hand around Danny's neck and kissing him just under his ear.

"Seriously? You want to go again already?"

"Mmm, never want to stop," Steve muttered into Danny's skin.

"God you're going to be death of me, you know that?" asked Danny, but he was already rolling over to get back on top of Steve.

Steve grinned, "Good."

The next training deployment was harder. And a whole month went by where he had to make due with only a few quick Skype chats when his schedule allowed and Danny was home to take them. It wasn't until halfway through the second month that Danny made it down, mixed in with other family members and talking to a petite woman Steve recognized as Jackson's on again/off again girlfriend.

"Danno!" Steve called out, half aware he was grinning like a loon, but he hadn't seen Danny in person in over 6 weeks, and he looked so solid, yellow hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"Where's Grace?" he asked after he'd jogged up.

"With Amy and Meka for the weekend," said Danny looking around at the base.

"Here," said Steve, "Let me give you the tour."

Danny raised an eyebrow every time they passed other military personnel and they stopped to salute Steve.

When they made it to the mess hall where Steve's team was, Steve got a strange feeling of families meeting.

Most of the team had disappeared to be with visiting family, but Brax was there. Goofing around with Hubbard.

Beside him, Danny was watching Chavez who was stabbing the table between his fingers like a scene from that weird sci-fi movie. The only one of them not staring at Danny.

Brax's face slip open in a wide grin when he saw Danny with him, elbowing Hubbard.

"Commander said we have to be on our best behaviour or he's gonna make us run laps," Brax told Danny by way of introduction, surveying him curiously.

"We haven't seen him this far gone since that Lieutenant from Navy Intelligence," said Hubbard grinning.

"Alright, alright, we don't need to be telling Danny about past flames," said Steve quickly.

"She was hot," Brax told Danny, completely ignoring Steve. "And she had these legs..."

"Yeah, then she sent us on that mission in the middle of nowhere. Got fucking flees from that mission," Chavez pointed out.

"Who hasn't had flees?" asked Hubbard while Steve wondered exactly at one point he'd lost control of this conversation as the three of them started exchanging their favourite parasitic horror stories.

"God, I'm sorry," said Steve hours later after Danny after they'd finally got away from his team. "I'd like to say they're usually better behaved, but..." Steve started, he hadn't thought it had been too bad really until Hubbard had started listing every parasite he'd ever had and Danny had turned a decided shade of green when Hubbard had held his arms out to properly illustrate just how long that tapeworm was they pulled out of him was.

"Actually I was just thinking, this explains a lot about you," said Danny. "You know you actually come off as sane around those guys?"

"I'm sane," said Steve. "What do I do that's not sane?"

"Well it's only been a few months, but I'm stuck between the part where you go for a five mile swim every morning at 6am and where you put butter in your coffee."

"It improves brain function," argued Steve.

"And this is what I'm talking about."

Steve glowered.

"Hey, don't pout," said Danny. "It's good, it keeps things interesting. Come on, Babe, you said you didn't want to fight."

Steve made himself relax. Danny was obviously teasing him.

"Yeah, alright, do you wanna grab something to eat?" he asked.

"I think I'm good never eating again, thank you," said Danny shuddering a bit, still looking a bit green from earlier.

"Well I still have 6 hours before I have report back to base," said Steve with a playful grin. "I think of a few other things we can do in that time?"

"God, is this all you think about?" asked Danny, but he was letting Steve close the distance, and back him up properly against the wall behind him.

"We can catch a cab to your hotel, or if you think we can manage on the single bed I've got here..." said Steve breathily and leaning to give Danny a good long kiss when he suddenly heard a wolf whistle and a lot of jeering and Steve missed Danny's mouth as Danny turned to look.

Then sank in defeat at what was half his team.

"They're a menace," said Danny.

"I'm going to double up all their training tomorrow," said Steve.

When Steve finally got home Grace was an inch taller and taken up surfing. The walls were covered with framed finger paintings and there was a new blanket folded on a corner of the couch. It was starting to seem like every time Steve stepped back into this house, it looked less and less like his.

He didn't fight with Danny this time though, even when he still ended up cleaning the house top to bottom, grateful that Danny seemed to have accepted this was just something that Steve was going to do. And every night it seemed like they were either going out with or entertaining Meka and Amy or Chin and Malia or Kono or Kelly. And while Steve knew them all, they all seemed like they had grown pretty close to Danny, and Steve wondered how they all could have formed such strong bonds in such a short amount of time.

And just when Steve felt like he was falling into a rhythm, and not being left behind most conversations, it was time for a 3 week training deployment in California.

"It'll be good," said Steve to Danny right before he left, "we're working with subs, I'm going to try and drown Brax."

"Drown him a second time for me, Babe," said Danny.

"You know it," Steve grinned. "I'll call when I get there," he said leaning in for a kiss.

And leaving Danny felt harder each time he had to do it. Even for a short trip like this.

When Steve got back they ended up having a big blowout fight over a postcard of New Jersey of all things Steve had found it in the bedroom.

"Why the hell do you need a postcard of Jersey anyways? You're living in paradise for fuck's sake," said Steve.

And Danny yelled out, "Maybe I don't want to be in fucking paradise. Maybe I never asked to be given away like cattle and shipped halfway around the world where I only have my daughter to get me through it and a husband who doesn't even have the decency to stay on the godforsaken rock he's stranded me on."

Steve stepped back. He tried to answer, but the words just caught in his throat and refused to come out.

And Danny stared at Steve looking a bit shell-shocked. Like he hadn't really meant to say it.

Except he had. And Steve had no idea how to fix it.

Apparently Danny didn't either, because neither managed to speak. Steve grabbed his pillow and unfolded the new blanket on the couch and slept there. Considering all the time he was spending on that couch, he had to admit, Danny had been right to buy a new one.

After that it became strained politeness. Steve just wanted to just break the ice and hash it out, but either Grace was around or Danny was on his way out or working a case or someone was visiting. And all they managed was Danny saying quietly a couple days in, "You know, you can sleep upstairs. I won't bite."

"Is that postcard still there?"

"Yeah."

"I'm good," said Steve stubbornly. And Danny was cold the rest of the day.

"I don't know what to do, Joe," said Steve over the phone one afternoon. "I ship out in two weeks, and it's the big one. I don't want to leave with things like this."

"Then don't," said Joe like it was the simplest thing in the world. "You're a navy SEAL, you have a problem you don't mope around, you go and you fix it."

It occurred to Steve as he hung up that Joe had never bothered to marry and probably wasn't the best choice to turn to for relationship problems. But still, he probably had a point.

Danny worked 9 days every two weeks, which meant he had a day off every second week, and Steve told Danny to book it off. "Spend the day with me."

"You're seriously giving me orders now?" asked Danny unimpressed.

"Danny, please," asked Steve. His neck was starting to crick from sleeping on the couch every night and he didn't sound that far off from begging.

And to his relief Danny softened a little bit. "I was planning to anyways, actually."

Steve smiled, it felt like the first time in weeks.

Steve took Danny out. About halfway through lunch he realised that they'd never really gone on any dates and maybe that was a part of the problem.

"We need to talk," said Danny after a while.

"Eventually, yes," Steve agreed. "But this is just for us. Let's enjoy it."

Danny clued in, he looked surprised but he accepted the date.

Danny told Steve about work, about some of the weirder stuff he's seen working in Hawaii so far. And Steve talked growing up on the island and swimming on that beach with Mary and his mom.

"Look I'm sorry about the postcard," said Steve later after lunch had turned into coffee and dessert, which had turned into a quiet afternoon on the lanai while they waited until it was late enough to go pick up Grace. "I just want you to feel like home here. You're not as alone here as you think, Danno."

"Yeah? When do you ship out again?" asked Danny.

Steve sighed in frustration, "You know, I'm trying here."

"I get that but, Jesus, Steve. 6 months," said Danny. He leaned forward and rubbed his yes, "I don't want to go 6 months without seeing you. What about Grace, that's a lifetime for a kid her age. I thought the three months was going to kill her."

"Danny," Steve practically begged.

"I know, I know it's your job. But that doesn't make it any easier, you've got to know that," said Danny.

Steve did. He just had no idea how to make it better.

Things still thawed after that day. Steve got off the couch at least. But the mood around the house was still somber. "I'm going on a tour, not off to my execution" Steve told Danny, frustrated. "I've done this a few times now."

"You are going off to fight wars," Danny countered. "And we're not going to hear from you or even know what country you're in for most of it."

"You'll hear from me," Steve countered. "I'll have down time where I can call, I'll write as often as I can."

"Which will be?"

"Probably between missions," Steve admitted, knowing his answer was more vague than Danny wanted. "But when I get home, I'll be back for a long stretch. You'll be so sick of me by the time I have to go on another training tour, you'll be kicking me out the door," Steve added playfully.

"If you make it back," said Danny. And Steve faltered.

"Come on. Don't be like this."

"Like what? Like I'm legitimately concerned my husband is going into combat zones? Like I'm not worried about you?"

"Danny, I'll be fine," said Steve, even though he knew he shouldn't make promises like that.

"And what if you're not, huh?" asked Danny. "What about Grace? Do you know how fond of you she's gotten? How hard it was for her when her mom left?"

"That's not fair," said Steve. "You know that's not fair. This is my job, dammit, this is who I am. I can't just quit and stay here, even if I wanted to." Steve paused and forced himself to take a breath to calm down, "Look, I get it Danny, I know this isn't easy for you. But do you think it's easy for me? Do you think I like leaving you behind all the time? I've never had a family before who worried about me when I was gone. Who needed to see me more than once or twice a year. Who I've missed so much it hurts when I have to go away. And I have that now and I have no idea how I'm supposed to be dealing with it."

Steve wasn't sure what he said, but Danny was looking like the fight had gone out of him and he pulled Steve in for a hug.

"We're a piece of work, aren't we?" asked Danny.

"This wasn't how this was supposed to go," admitted Steve. "I hadn't planned on falling in love."

He felt Danny's grip loosen as Danny pulled back, "Are you serious?"

"I think so," said Steve, "is that alright?"

"God," said Danny, "if you get yourself killed after telling me that, I am going to bring you back so I can kill you all over again. You hear me? So don't you go all Rambo on me and do something stupid, huh?"

"Navy," said Steve, and at Danny's frown, "Rambo was army, I'm in the navy." But he was grinning and Danny shoved him playfully.

"Oh my God, just..." Danny grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him down and kissed him.

Steve didn't sleep much the night before deployment. His mind still playing his conversation with Danny from three days ago, over and over again. Steve used to live for deployments. The SEALs was his life, with too-long leaves that needed to be filled in between training and tours. And now everything had flipped, and Steve just wanted to stay here with Danny and Grace and forget about all these stupid international conflicts.

They'd slept together earlier that night, and it had been so achingly slow, just like their first time. Like they were both trying to memorize each other before the long separation coming. And now Danny was dozing on his shoulder, deep even breathing while Steve just sat there memorizing his face in light of the cool moonlight outside, his shoulders, his ears. Every piece of him was so precious, so important.

He'd hoped for a partnership. Someone he would hopefully get along with, who'd be able to hold down the fort while he was gone. But he'd fallen for Danny so fast and so hard he doubted he could have stopped it if he'd tried.

And if it wasn't for the threat of jail time, Steve wouldn't be leaving.

The next morning, both Danny and Grace saw Steve off at the airplane. Steve hugged Grace as tightly as he could, "I'll be home before you know it, Monkey," he told her. "You take good care of Danno while I'm gone, yeah?"

Grace nodded seriously looking up at her Dad. "I will."

To Danny, he said, "You still have that number I gave you? That's Joe, if you need anything, anything at all, he's the man to call. And if you need to tell me something, you won't always be able to reach me, but getting a message to him is the quickest way to get it to me."

Danny nodded solemnly. And Steve wanted to kiss the frown off his lips.

"I'll be fine, Danno," he said.

"I love you too, you big animal," Danny told him. "Remember that when you're in some jungle in Azerbaijan or wherever you end up."

"Azerbaijan doesn't really have jungles," said Steve amused. "But I'll be careful."

And then he kissed Danny, hugged him, then Grace a second time and after another quick round of goodbyes he left.

Steve called and Skyped when he could, and sometimes Danny was at work, and Grace was at school or at a surfing lesson or cheerleading, and sometimes they were both there grinning at the screen with Grace showing off some crafts she did with the Aloha Girls.

And sometimes it was just Danny, and he'd pass on news of mutual friends, or tell him when Freddie was back in town. And between their different schedules, Danny ended up seeing Freddie way more than Steve ever did. Even if he seemed closer to Kelly. And Steve would tell Danny what he could, maybe repeat something horrible Hubbard had told him, or talk about how RMEs seem to be getting worse.

And if weeks tended to go by between contact, nobody mentioned it.

Steve was in the middle of the desert in Sudan during Christmas, but he'd already arranged Chin to drop off Danny and Grace's presents before the date. He called them the first chance he had, the third week of January, and listened to Grace go on about New Jersey and seeing Danny's family and Danny just thanked him for the tickets to the Kahala hotel even while he chided him for spending so much money, and told him he'd get his present when he got back.

"Yeah?" asked Steve. "Can I get a hint?"

"No, you overgrown man-child," said Danny. "Just make it home."

He was in Moldova during Danny's birthday and in a submarine listening to the walls creek during Grace's. And when their first year anniversary came up four and a half months in, Steve was shivering in a cave in the mountains in Afghanistan while they kept eyes on their target, ate RMEs and swapped dirty jokes.

5 months in, Steve got in to Coronado to find Joe White looking grim.

"Someone die?" asked Steve.

It was the wrong thing to say because Joe said, "Danny's been shot."

And Steve's entire world stopped spinning. "What!? How? Is he OK? Is he alive?"

Joe had to hold him up, keep him from collapsing right where he was standing.

"He's alive," Joe told him, "and he's out of the woods. It happened 3 weeks ago."

"3 weeks," Steve croaked, he tried to think what he was doing 3 weeks ago. Like he should have somehow magically knew something had happened to Danny. "I have to see him, I have to go."

"Hold up," said Joe, stopping Steve in his tracks. "Danny pulled through, he's going to be fine. The military didn't deem it enough for compassionate leave. You've still got a month of service left."

Steve was shocked. "What--I can't--Danny got shot, how can I just stay here?" he sputtered.

"Danny is alright," said Joe. "Danny is going to stay alright until you get home, you just need to make it through one more month." Joe must have seen the rebellious look in Steve's eyes because he grabbed his arm and said in a firm tone, "listen, you are not cleared to leave. If you do, you will be arrested and then where would Danny be? Huh? Come on, Steve, pull yourself together here."

Steve blinked, and it felt like getting plunged into cold water. He nodded, "Right." He hated it, but Joe was right. Fuck he hated that Joe was right. And a small rebelious voice wondered if he had anything to do with the decision, even though logically he knew he probably didn't.

"You have 24 hours, why don't you call your husband?" asked Joe, holding out his cell. Steve took it gratefully, dialing Danny's cell number.

"This had better be good," it was Danny, and Steve started breathing normally again for the first time since he heard the news. "Because I spent a week in the fucking ICU hanging by a thread and you still couldn't even tell me when I might be able to talk to my husband. And if I hear that it's classified, one more time--"

He thought he was Joe. Steve would have stopped and corrected him earlier, but it was such a relief to hear his voice. "Danny..." he croaked.

"Steve?"

"Joe lent me his phone. Mine's in a storage locker 500 miles away. I...I just heard. Oh God, Danny are you OK? How's Grace? Joe said you were out of the woods, but he never said anything else."

"I'm going to make a full recovery," Danny reassured him. "It was right through. And Grace is doing good, she was a bit shaken, but she's bounced back pretty good. She's already lecturing me when I try and overdo it, she's a good nursemaid. Pa's here too, telling me I should quit every chance he gets. Kono and Chin have been by a few times, and Malia's been giving me a lot of good advice. Things are alright."

Steve grinned at the image of Grace bossing around an injured Danny and let himself sag in relief.

"How did it happen?" Steve asked.

"Meth bust, kid was high as a kite. I was just standing in the wrong place. It happens."

Steve didn't need Danny to explain it to him, he had the same kind of job, he knew the risks. "And you were worried about me," he teased.

"So when are you gonna get home and help nurse me back to health?" Danny asked.

"One more month," said Steve.

"A month? They're not gonna let you go?" Danny was as surprised as Steve.

"Bad timing, I might have been able to if I'd heard before they knew if you were gonna live."

Danny swore.

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "But after this, I'm gonna transfer to the reserves."

"What? What happened to 'this is my job. This is who I am.'"

"I don't think it is anymore. I dunno, my heart just isn't in it like it used to be."

"What'll you do?" asked Danny.

"I don't know yet, maybe start a security firm or something, make the big bucks. I have a month to think about it."

"Alright don't take this the wrong way, because I love the idea of you retiring. But are you sure you want to do this? And this isn't just a reaction to my near death experience here?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, actually. This made sense when it just me, but it doesn't make so much sense anymore. I want be there, with you and Grace." And Steve realised he'd probably been lonely a long time. He'd just never had anyone to miss before.

"I love you," said Danny. "We miss you."

"Yeah," said Steve. "I miss all of you too."

Steve ended up getting discharged a week early. He probably should have called ahead and warned Danny but he hadn't wanted to waste any time getting back.

When he arrived on Oahu, he just grabbed a cab and left.

The house was quiet when the cab pulled up, a couple lights on, and Steve could hear the sound of silverware and plates. Then when he opened the door, he could see them at the dining room table just finishing supper.

Grace reacted first, expression going from disbelieving to delight, and Steve couldn't believe how big she'd gotten as she threw herself into Steve's arms. "You're not supposed to be back yet, Danno said it'd be another week." she whined.

"You want me to go back?" asked Steve, teasing. "I can stay away another week?"

"Don't you dare," said Danny.

Steve looked up and grinned and Danny looked different too. Sharper, eyes bluer, and hair blonder, and Steve thought maybe he looked the same as always and he'd just forgotten. That maybe in six months his memory dulled him.

Steve wanted to put Grace down and cross the floor, and kiss Danny everywhere and drag him upstairs and do unspeakably dirty things to him. But he also wanted to carry Grace over to him, and hug them both as tightly as he can and never ever let go. And he wanted to just sit with Danny, to be near him and just listen to him talk about whatever he wanted until his voice went hoarse.

Undecided he held still and said, "I'm staying right here."

Danny went with Steve for his preseparation ceremony, and grinned proudly at him in his dress whites as the audience clapped at the end after they'd thanked him for his service. It was all bitter-sweet, but Steve still didn't have any regrets because for the first time in his life he felt like it was OK to stop moving. To stay and put down roots and belong somewhere.

"So given anymore thought to what you're gonna do now you're a free man?" Danny asked after the ceremony.

Steve shook his head. "I'm still thinking about it. But the governor wants to meet me tomorrow," he said. "It's probably nothing but I'll see what she has to say and we can figure it out from there."