Return of the Sparkly Hearts
Disclaimer: Santa said no.
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Danny Williams/Steve McGarrett
Warnings: It's schmoop, and there's a coconut bra, but we're spoiler-free up in here.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 940
Soundtrack: "Face of Love" (Jewel and Nedra Carroll)
Summary: Danny watched from just inside the front door, absently stroking Mr. Hoppy’s furry ears as Steve tore open the red and green paper. When he saw Steve’s eyes start to shine and the corners of his mouth turn up in a gentle smile, he knew his baby girl had done right.
Author's Notes: Part Three of the Sparkly Hearts trilogy. You don't need to read Badass Sparkly Hearts and Sparkly Hearts Strike Back first, but you want to. Right? Yes, of course you do.
Return of the Sparkly Hearts
H50 - Danny/Steve
Danny Williams was a happy man. He was on his way to pick up his daughter, wearing the black-and-red heart tie she’d given him for Christmas.
Rachel and Step-Stan were vacationing in London for the New Year, so he had Grace for five whole days -- from now until they returned on Tuesday. As had become their custom, they’d be staying at Steve’s. Steve had even volunteered to close Five-0 on Monday and Tuesday so the three of them could spend some quality time together.
And that might have something to do with Danny’s good mood, too. Steve had held his hand today. He felt like a kid, getting all excited over such an inconsequential little touch, but hours later, he could still feel the spark from it. He tried not to think too much about what might happen between them over the next few days, but he couldn’t help feeling just a bit hopeful.
The grin Steve was sporting when he opened the door to Danny and Grace didn’t help. The man was fucking beautiful, and it wasn’t good for Danny’s mental health. Or his blood pressure. Their eyes met and locked for a few intense seconds before Steve bent to scoop Gracie up in a hug.
“Hi there, Gracie girl! Did you have a good Christmas?”
“I did, I did! Daddy got me a dress-up trunk, and Mommy got me a skateboard and a helmet and stuff, and oh, Steve! Daddy gave me your present, and I love it! I brought it with me! It’s in my bag. And I brought something for you, too!”
“You did?” Steve asked as he set her down so she could dig in her bag. Danny had told him this morning that Gracie had a gift for him, but it seemed he didn’t want to ruin their little girl’s surprise. “What did you get me?”
Grace rummaged around in her backpack, pulling out the Surfer Girl Annie Steve had given her along with one of her favorite silly hats from the dress-up trunk. Eventually she came up with a rectangular package she’d obviously wrapped herself. “Here,” she said, handing it to Steve. “Open it and see.”
Danny watched from just inside the front door, absently stroking Mr. Hoppy’s furry ears as Steve tore open the red and green paper. When he saw Steve’s eyes start to shine and the corners of his mouth turn up in a gentle smile, he knew his baby girl had done right.
“Thank you, Gracie. It’s perfect.” Steve pulled Grace into another tight hug before leading her back toward the bedrooms so they could pick out a good spot for his gift. Danny followed slowly, not wanting to intrude on their moment of bonding.
That night, he fell asleep on Steve’s sofa with a smile on his face.
The next day was New Year’s Eve. They spent most of the day on the beach. And, yeah, Danny didn’t like the sand or the saltwater, but he loved his daughter, and he was willing to admit he actually had fun helping her and Steve build a Hawaiian snowman out of sand and shells. Gracie’s laughter when Steve shimmied up a palm tree to fetch the snowman a coconut bra certainly cancelled out any irritation Danny might have felt at spending his New Year on the beach instead of in Times Square.
Plus, there was Steve in a swimsuit. The SEAL was in his element, tattooed skin glistening over lean muscles as he splashed in the waves with Danny’s little girl. The contrast between the tough, hard body and the childlike grin on his face was... well, it was something. Something Danny couldn’t get enough of.
When the sun went down and the evening grew too dark for little girls to be in the water, they all went inside and settled onto the sofa for pizza (ham and pineapple for Steve, pepperoni for Danny and Grace) and It’s a Wonderful Life.
By the time George and Mary were singing “Buffalo Gals,” the three of them had congealed into a single pajama-clad lump at one end of the sofa. Gracie was curled up in her father’s lap, her head on Danny’s shoulder and her chilly bare feet tucked between his leg and Steve’s, and Steve was turned in toward them, one arm slung casually around his partner’s back. Danny thought he could stay that way all night, but when the movie ended and Clarence got his wings, Grace was sound asleep.
Danny started to get up to carry her to bed, but Steve stopped him. “Let me,” he said, taking Gracie from her father’s lap and carrying her to the guest bedroom that had become hers. Once again, Danny followed slowly. He watched from the bedroom doorway as Steve tucked the little girl into bed, and he felt something twist inside him. This, right here. He wanted to keep this.
And so, when ball dropped at midnight (because tradition is tradition, even in Hawaii), Danny hooked one hand around the back of of Steve’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was fierce and sweet and far too short for his liking, but when he drew back, Steve’s eyes were shining just like they had been when he opened Grace’s Christmas gift, and Danny knew he’d done right.
Later, much later, when Danny fell asleep, it was with strong arms wrapped tight around him and a picture of the three of them smiling back at him from a homemade sparkly heart frame on Steve’s nightstand.