Work Text:
Not the Girl
by nancy
Danny woke up warm and comfortable and tangled in Steve. It had become his favorite place to wake up the last month or so since they'd first gotten together. Hell, it was pretty much his new favorite place to be period. Not that he would ever actually say so. He wasn't that much of a girl.
He nuzzled at Steve's throat before pulling free of his lover's arms and walking naked to the bathroom. They were at Steve's house, like usual since Steve hated Danny's apartment with a passion that was almost unhealthy. Even Danny had no problem admitting that it mostly sucked and this was the new upgrade so he could have Gracie overnight.
He paused on the way back to bed, shaking his head at the sight of Steve. The moonlight coming in the window put him mostly in shadows, but there was enough to let Danny see his partner. Steve had his face buried in the pillow, oblivious to the world. It was like that every time. The man might have the reflexes of a cat merged with a super-soldier, but once he was out, he was out. He moved around a lot, the man had some killer nightmares and Danny had been shoved off the bed more than once, but he didn't usually wake up until the sun said hello.
Danny couldn't name the feeling that was lurking in his gut, trying to get out, didn't want to. The last time he'd felt this way, he'd gotten married and had a kid and was still trying to get over it. Not that not admitting to it would change anything, but he still wasn't saying a word.
Climbing back into bed, he slid back into his spot, which was usually his back to Steve's chest. Steve mumbled in his sleep, even as he shifted and threw an arm around Danny's waist again. Danny grumbled about being the chick in their relationship, but it felt damn good to have Steve wrapped around him like a second skin. Danny yawned and laced their fingers together, letting himself drift back to sleep.
Danny woke up hours later and alone in bed, the morning sun blinding him. Turning over, he discovered Steve's spot was cold and sighed. He could only hope that the other man wasn't in a mood. When he was, it ruined the whole damn day and he had Plans today, capital P.
He used the bathroom again, this time splashing water on his face and brushing his teeth, too. It took a little looking, but he found his boxers under the bed and pulled them on before heading downstairs. Danny found Steve in the backyard, staring out at the water without even a t-shirt on and still barefoot. Sighing, he walked out and complained, "I woke up alone, damn it. You know I hate that."
Steve turned a faint grin in his direction and said, "Sorry, Danno. Didn't think you'd be up for a while yet."
Danny's eyebrows lifted and he pointed out, "It's almost ten."
"Yeah, but we just went to sleep around four," Steve replied, shrugging.
Deciding to go on the attack, so to speak, Danny wrapped his arms around Steve from behind and plopped his chin on the taller man's shoulder. Steve's hand rested on his, which were clasped around the taller man's waist, and they stood there quietly for a few minutes before Danny asked, "You okay?"
It was Steve's first Christmas without his dad, after all. They'd been busy with a hostage situation on Thanksgiving, but now there was all the time in the world to dwell on what he didn't have. Steve nodded, but it was half-hearted at best.
Danny finally let go of him and ordered, "C'mon. Let's get dressed. I've got plans for today."
"Should I be scared?"
"Oh yeah. Totally."
Danny slapped him on the ass for added measure and walked back in the house, leaving Steve to follow. The coffee was already made, thank God, so he poured a big mug full and took a gulp of the hot liquid. It nearly scalded his tongue, but he ignored that and brought the mug upstairs, drinking more on the way. He was dressed and ready to go by the time Steve even got to the bedroom, moving slow.
Danny observed the slight limp and said, "Thought you said the leg was fine."
Steve glared at him. "It is."
"Then shake it and get a move on."
"Bite me."
Danny snorted. "You first."
Steve flipped him off on the walk to the bathroom and Danny left the bedroom to return to the kitchen. He picked up his cell and called Kamekona to make sure plans were still good, and the big man assured him that they were. Assuming he got Steve to leave the house before the world ended.
He shouted up the stairs, "Move it, McGarrett! We don't have all day!"
"I'm coming!" Steve shouted back.
He sounded truly pissed, so Danny laid off for a while, calling Gracie to pass the time. He heard all about her newest presents and tried not to feel like a shmoe because he didn't have the money to buy even half of that stuff. At least she seemed to like the expansion of her dolphin training Barbie stuff that he'd gotten her.
Steve was finally ready and stood in the kitchen doorway looking all kinds of PMS. Danny manfully restrained from commenting and only said, "I'm drivin,'" before heading outside.
He'd memorized the directions, which was good because if he had to ask Steve then the jig was up. Steve didn't pay attention to any of it, staring out of the window without seeming to see anything at all. Danny let him space out, not wanting to call attention to the location. It had been next to impossible to find what he'd been looking for and then he'd had to promise a couple of favors since he didn't really have the money to get it done, but Danny was sure it would be worth it.
Steve seemed to come back to himself when the car stopped and he looked around in confusion. "What are we doing here?"
Danny slapped him on the thigh and said, "Follow me and find out."
He grabbed the two thick sweaters from the trunk where he'd stuck them a few days ago to make sure he didn't forget. Steve gave him a curious frown, but took the one Danny handed him. They walked into the large ice skating rink building and Danny was immediately assaulted by the cold. He shivered violently and then grinned happily. The place was empty other than Jack, the owner, who waved at him from the counter area as Danny tugged on his sweater.
"Danny?"
Turning, Danny walked backwards towards the rink rail and said, "So I figured that no matter what you did this year, Christmas was going to suck. And since you hate Jersey anyhow, I thought I'd combine both and make it feel as un-Christmassy as possible to you. It's cold. It's damp. It sounds like the turnpike and smells like Elizabeth. But hey! Snow! C'mon, McGarrett, bet you can't hit me with a snowball. Bet you couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with one."
It really did sound like the turnpike, thanks to the traffic soundtrack, and somehow Jack had come up with the burnt rubber smell that pervaded the highway around Elizabeth. It was awful and perfect and he spotted the small grin before Steve could stop it.
Danny crowed with delight and took a running start to slide across the ice to the nearest snow bank. The next couple of hours passed way too quickly. There were snowball fights, a couple of whitewashes, some speed skating thanks to Steve's over-competitive nature, and finally a slow skate together around the non-snowy part of the rink. They didn't do the holding hands thing, just occasionally bumping into each other.
When Jack appeared at the rail and waved, Danny sighed, knowing their time was up. He nudged Steve and said, "Time to head back to Hawaii."
Steve unexpectedly cornered him against the rail, an arm to either side of Danny. He leaned in and kissed Danny without seeming to care that Jack and the clean-up crew stood a short distance away, waiting for them to leave. It wasn't all that long or deep of a kiss, but it was unmistakable.
Danny stared at him, shocked, and asked hoarsely, "What the hell'd you do that for?"
Steve gave him a crooked grin and said, "I love you, Danny. And thanks. This was…really great. Come on. Let's go. I've got a present for you, too."
Danny couldn't help the bubbling sense of happiness inside, even with Jack smirking at them. It wasn't a mean smirk, more like one that promised merciless teasing if and when their paths crossed again. Danny made a face at him, but didn't comment. He watched Steve have a few words with the older man and then they were back in Hawaii's muggy heat. Danny grimaced, pulling off his sweater and said, "It was nice while it lasted."
Steve put an arm over his shoulder and said, "It might last longer than you think."
Danny frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Steve grinned again, but didn't answer until they were back in the car. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out an envelope, which he handed over to Danny. Taking it warily, Danny opened it to find tickets inside. Tickets to Newark. He blinked in surprise and then looked at Steve and asked, "What's this?"
"We both have a ton of vacation days so I figured I'd be the first Hawaiian to vacation in New Jersey," Steve answered, still grinning.
Danny's jaw clicked shut and he stared at the tickets for a long minute, not knowing what to say.
"Uh, Danny? Traditionally, you say thank you if you like a present."
Steve actually sounded nervous and Danny looked over to find a small frown on his face. He shook his head and then grabbed Steve's shirt and hauled him in for a long, hungry kiss. No one had ever known him this good and while it scared the hell out of him, it felt too damn good to deny.
When he let go, Steve looked more than a little stunned by the force of his reaction. Danny stared into his blue, blue eyes for a few seconds and then admitted, "I love you too, you jerk."
Steve let out a surprised laugh and then said, "Well good. Come on. Let's go see if we can finagle your way into seeing Gracie today."
Danny cleared his throat against the emotions that were threatening to get loose because he was *not* the girl in this relationship damn it.
end