Weekend Challenge: Work what H's got (version #2)
Hey everyone, how's your week been? Well, whether it was good or bad, it's the weekend now, right? And weekends are time for fun! This weekend's challenge is a slight variation on the one I gave you the weekend before last.
Work What H's Got With Music! Yes, that's right! This time, you ask me to hit you, and I'll turn my iPod onto shuffle. ( Read more... )
Work What H's Got With Music! Yes, that's right! This time, you ask me to hit you, and I'll turn my iPod onto shuffle. ( Read more... )
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Thank you!
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This kinda got out of hand… 1936 words.
"Grace should be here; she'd love this."
Steve turns to Danny, sitting beside him in one of the folding chairs in the sun on the grass at Moanalua Gardens where they're watching this year's Prince Lot Hula Festival unfold in all it's brilliance in front of them. "We can bring her next year," he smiles, pleased that Danny seems to be enjoying this.
Danny nods and smiles fondly at him. "Thank you, by the way."
Steve shrugs casually, but it warms his heart when Danny's like this. "You're welcome, babe."
"You didn't have to, you know."
"It's what you do when a friend is missing his daughter on a weekend that should include her."
"Well, I appreciate it." Danny nods and turns back to watch the next hula kāhiko group approach the hula mound.
Steve doesn't answer, but he watches Danny rather than the dancers; he's been to the festival several times before, and much as he's still moved by the fluidity of the performers, he's more interested in Danny's reactions right now.
At the end of the performance, Steve waits till Danny's ready to stand before moving. "You enjoyed it?" He asks as they pack up the chairs and wander slowly back to the Camaro through the colorful crowd.
"Yeah," Danny says, "I wasn't sure what to expect, but the hula has a lot more to it than I realized."
"Yeah," Steve agrees, "There's a lot of skill involved in some of the dances. We learned a little in school, but I can't move anything like some of the people we saw today."
They're by the car now, but Danny stops more abruptly than their arrival warrants. "You learned to hula?"
Steve is embarrassed he mentioned it now, but he can't take it back. He lowers his eyes and rounds the car, saying nothing.
"You know, I've never seen you dance," Danny says, sounding thoughtful as he gets in behind the wheel of the car.
Steve purposely doesn't look at Danny, wishing now he'd insisted he drive so he had a decent excuse to avoid his eye. "Dancing doesn't really come up much in the course of Five-0's duties."
"Hmm," Danny hums, casting what feels like a speculative glance in Steve's direction.
"What's that mean?" Steve finally looks his way now that Danny's concentrating on the road again.
"Maybe we should go dancing."
"Are you kidding?" Steve knows he probably looks horrified by now.
Danny frowns for a moment, the expression morphing smoothly into a feral grin. "You don't dance well, do you?"
Steve swallows, turning to look out the side window as he feels a flush diffuse his face. "What makes you think that?"
"Oh babe, you are too easy to read. It's either that or you're too embarrassed to dance with me."
Steve glances back at Danny; the grin hasn't left his face yet. "I'm not embarrassed!"
Danny tilts his head, pursing his lips like he doesn't believe that for a second, but says nothing.
Although Steve knows Danny has purposely pushed him into accepting this challenge, he can't help himself. "Okay then, let's do it."
"You know somewhere around here where two men can dance together without causing an uprising?"
Steve licks his lips, thinking. This thing between them is new enough that they haven't been near any of the bars Steve knows of; they've been more than happy in each other's company and haven't felt the need to connect with the gay populace before now. But dancing together probably does require a gay club, unless Danny wants to slow dance alone with him at home. Steve isn't so sure he wants to share Danny just yet, anyway. A smile slowly forms on his lips and he gives Danny a suggestive look. "Come back to my place; no one there will say anything."
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Neither of them say anything for the rest of the journey, but it's comfortable; Steve keeps letting his gaze drift in Danny's direction and he's fairly certain the thoughts in Danny's head are not on missing Grace any more.
Once inside at Steve's, he makes a beeline for the stereo and seeks a CD from his meager collection that he knows he can form some semblance of movement to. He's not about to admit to Danny that he was right: dancing is definitely not Steve's forte.
"Hold on for just one moment, babe." Danny practically snatches the CD out of his hand and snorts before he reads the title out loud. "Dr. Hook? Christ, here was me thinking 'Sexy Eyes' was a lone aberration of yours. You have a whole CD of theirs?"
Steve frowns and reaches to take the CD back. "I told you, the music's catchy."
"Uh-uh," Danny shakes his head, moving the CD away so Steve can't take it. "My choice."
"What?" Steve thought he was in control of this a minute ago, but he has the sneaking suspicion that there's something about this that says Danny had fore-knowledge of exactly what else was tucked way in back of Steve's CD collection.
And Steve knows he's not wrong as Danny grins widely, and then steps over to the CDs, replacing the Dr. Hook and flicking straight to the rear of the holder.
"No." Steve shakes his head.
"Yes, babe. You promised me a dance. When I found this a couple of weeks ago…" He holds up Kawai Cockett's 'Hula! Hula! Hula!' album - which Steve's had since he was a kid and never quite been able to get rid of - and grins at Steve as he goes on, "I wondered why this was in your collection, but now it all becomes clear."
"Jesus," Steve murmurs, lowering his eyes. He knows what's coming next.
Danny looks so pleased with himself it's not funny. "I bet you still remember the moves; am I right?"
There's no way Steve's getting out of this now, so he may as well admit it; he nods.
"Which one of the songs was it?" Danny asks, his grin never faltering as he checks the titles. "Oh wait!" He holds up a hand. "Let me guess: track seven?"
Steve blinks and looks up. "How did you know?"
"Let's just say I know you well enough to figure it out. Come on, babe." He opens the case and slides the CD into the player, setting the machine to start at track seven, and then heads for a chair and settles into it comfortably before waving at Steve like it's a royal command.
The music starts in on 'Nani Wale Ku'u Ike' and before he's thought too much about it, Steve's already moving into position and beginning the routine he learned all those years ago. He tries not to look at Danny because he knows he'll lose his rhythm if he does, but it's not hard to get back into the headspace of the weeks he and his class spent working on the hula for the school's cultural night, even after all this time. Moana Pakele was the prettiest girl in eighth grade and she was the hula queen back then; Steve would have done just about anything to impress her.
The song fades out and Danny's standing up as Steve finishes the dance. Steve had almost forgotten he was being watched, but he looks at Danny now and is stunned to see the film across his eyes as Danny blinks it away and begins clapping.
"That was amazing, babe. I really… wow. I take my words back; you can dance."
"Thank you," is all Steve can think to say, totally blown away by Danny's reaction. The next song starts up and Steve crosses to turn it down a little, but doesn't stop the CD; he kinda likes the music more than he wants to admit.
"No, thank you. Next time though…" he smiles broadly as he comes close enough to embrace Steve, "I think you should wear the proper costume. That would totally be something to see."
Steve huffs a laugh into Danny's hair, then pulls back enough to grin at him. "You may be pushing your luck there."
"Perhaps so, babe, but I totally understand why it was that song."
"How did you know it was that one?" Steve asks, still mystified.
Danny still hasn't stopped smiling. "Because I See the Beauty?"
That's the English subtitle of the song, so Steve nods.
"I had a feeling that even if you couldn't hula like the performers we saw today, I'd still see the beauty in it, babe."
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"Sure; romance is my middle name." Danny pulls him close and offers Steve a slow kiss just as the front door opens.
Steve and Danny pull apart as Doris walks in. "Hi Sweetheart," she offers to Steve, and adds pleasantly enough - like she's finally realized there's no point being anything but nice to Danny now, "Hello Danny. Didn't mean to interrupt but I've been meaning to pick up that book I left in the study… "
Before either of them can say anything, she looks towards the CD player and smiles awkwardly at Danny. "So you were serious about the hula thing, Danny? It was 'Because I See the Beauty' wasn't it, Steve? The one you learned the hula for at school that year you were trying to impress the class hula queen?"
Steve hakes his head, knowing he should have guessed there was a reason why it felt like a set-up. Danny would have done his homework before the Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival, knowing him, even distracted as he may have been by Grace's absence for the weekend. Steve offers him a wry smile as he replies to his mother, "That's right, Mom."
"Did you…?" Doris gets half the question out.
"He did indeed," Danny replies, winking at Steve. "And you were right; he remembered."
Doris smiles and nods, sliding a sly glance in Steve's direction as she heads for the study.
Steve turns to Danny again, but he can't find it in himself to be annoyed; Danny hasn't been so happy on a Grace-less weekend before. Even if this started as a joke, Steve can't believe Danny was faking the pleasure he seems to have found in watching Steve perform the hula.
"'You know me well enough to figure it out', huh?" Steve throws Danny's words back at him.
Doris returns to the room, waving the book she'd come for in lieu of words and slips out the door before Danny has time to form a comeback.
"You would never have shown me if I admitted I asked your mom for intel, would you?"
Steve laughs softly and moves in on Danny, wrapping arms about him and swaying them to the hula music still playing in the background.
"You're going to love payback," Steve tells him, capturing Danny's lips with his own before he can reply.
Danny might be a good detective, but Steve knows more about commands and performance: he'll teach Danny the hula if it kills them both.
~//~
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That's something I'd like to see on the show. Not necessarily the hula dancing, but the team doing something completely random/cultural and letting loose.
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I'd absolutely like to see more; especially things that showcase the kind of cultural things they took part in regularly as they grew up because you just know it's different to the kind of things many of us have done. (although NZ Maori culture is very similar to Hawaiian in many ways, it's still very different in this kind of thing)
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I LOVE IT!!! IT'S WONDERFUL!! THANK YOU!
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And today will be very silly, as there is not enough coffee in the world!!!
More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words! More words!
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