Work Text:
THE UNDERWEAR AFFAIR – DANNY'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER
A Quality Time Vignette
It was a typical middle-of-the-afternoon at The High Road. The mid-day rush was over, the local businessmen returned to their places of employment and the leisure crowd typical of the late day and evening not yet arrived. The pub's staff was quietly cleaning up, resetting the tables and chairs, re-writing the menu boards, and continuing to provide service to the remaining occupants of the room.
At a secluded table in the far corner of the pub, the two senior members of Five-O were settled in, glasses and plates in front of them, as they took a break in what was proving to be a very hectic day. Steve McGarrett, the lead detective, and his second-in-command Danny Williams had spent a long morning in court, watching as the final details of a particularly trying case had resulted in the convictions they had been hoping for. After a brief follow-up meeting with the District Attorney, the two men had retreated to The High Road for a quick meal before returning to the office and the remainder of the workday. The recently-opened Scottish pub, located near the Iolani Palace, was quickly gaining a reputation as the drop-in spot for Five-O and HPD members, as well as other emergency service providers in the city; the pub-grub lunch menu and the quick and friendly attitude of the staff was proving to be a winning combination for the adventuresome owners of the establishment.
For a while there was near-silence at the table, as the duo hungrily dug into their sandwiches. At length, however, their conversation picked up again, and they chatted desultorily about the morning's court verdict and several other cases that were on Five-O's front burner. When Danny excused himself briefly, Steve took advantage of the younger man's absence to slip a small box from his pocket and place it on the table at his partner's place.
"What's this?" Dan's question drew Steve's attention to the fact that he had returned. "Is this for me?" he asked, a grin beginning to spread across his face. "And what's the occasion?
Steve returned the smile with one of his own. "Oh, nothing special," he said affably. "Kind of a belated 'welcome back' from your trip to the Big Island last week, and a recognition of all the hard work you did there." The senior detective sat back and gestured with his hand. "Well, go ahead and open it!"
Still grinning, Danny picked up the neatly-wrapped box, eyeing it closely and giving it a quick shake to try and guess what was inside. When no hint was forthcoming, he slipped the colourful paper off, popped the lid open and reached in, drawing out a small, neatly folded square of fabric. As he shook it out, however, his jaw dropped in shock and he stared in disbelief at Steve.
"Leopard print?" Danny exclaimed, looking at the pair of briefs he held. "Leopard print?! And these can't possibly be my size!"
"Oh, I don't know, Danno, the size looks pretty good to me..." The words were accompanied by a gentle, suggestive leer as Steve observed his red-faced companion from across the table.
Danny dropped the offending item as if it were on fire and snapped the box lid shut, surreptitiously glancing around to see if anyone else had seen what was inside. His practiced gaze swept the surrounding tables, assessing the possibilities; at length he relaxed slightly, relatively certain that the identity of the contents remained a secret. "Steve!" he protested again, albeit a bit more weakly this time.
The tall, dark-haired man reached for his water glass, quirking an eyebrow at his lover; he was thoroughly enjoying Danny's discomfiture. The situation was usually reversed, as the younger detective was frequently able to confound him with any number of daring or fascinating suggestions. But today, Danny was completely out of his comfort zone, and the sight was very revealing indeed; clearly he did not like the tables being turned!
"You did mention the other day that you needed to do some, er, personal shopping." Steve's tone was mild, his expression innocently neutral as he spoke. "I just assumed this was one of the items you intended to pick up." He leaned forward, allowing the faintest brush of his hand against Danny's arm. "I do hope the colour is acceptable to you," he added solicitously.
Danny glared daggers across the table at his lover. "You know blue is my favourite colour," he muttered darkly. "But your taste in ... patterns ... leaves a lot to be desired! And your choice of location to give this to me, well ..." Danny continued to eye the other patrons, seeking reassurance that nobody had witnessed his unwrapping of the gift box. The dim, slightly smoky atmosphere in their section of the pub was clearly working in his favour, however, as not one person seemed unduly interested in the happenings at their table.
"Well, I'm glad you like them," Steve said blandly. "I've been thinking, Danno, that you need some more ... zip ... in your life. This might be the first step along that road." Although his expression remained neutral, his dark blue eyes were filled with suppressed laughter at his lover's palpable outrage.
The younger man slouched down in his chair, almost snatching his own drink off the table as he continued to scowl at his partner. "Very funny," he grumbled. "But you'd better enjoy this while it lasts, Steve, because you've really got to know..." Danny paused dramatically, eyes narrowed and fixed firmly on his target. "My revenge will be sweet, I promise!"
Pau (?)