Three fic-type things for awesome peoples! ♥
It turns out that Chin drunk? Highly, highly entertaining.
The thing about it is that even while drunk, it's a subtle, subtle thing with him. He doesn't slur and he doesn't act noticeably drunk, but. There's a looseness about him that's never present when he's fully in control of his facilities. That, and there's obviously a bit of a disconnect with his brain-to-mouth filter which they all find out about when he tells Steve his plans are stupid, stupid, stupid, and Kono's current boyfriend is an idiot. Danny got compliments on his tie and questions about what hair products he uses.
Also, there's the touching. And the leaning. Lots and lots of leaning that starts out as a relaxed slouch to celebrate their survival in the face of overwhelming odds and Steve's special brand of complete fucking crazy. (Although, to be fair, Steve's special brand of complete fucking crazy is also what keeps them alive half the time, so there's that.)
But, back to Chin. Chin and his slouching-turned-leaning. Not that Danny minds, since Chin was the one getting shot at the most earlier that day and it's a relief he's not sporting a few extra holes in his body.
"You, shut it," Danny warns, pointing a finger at Steve who's smirking into his beer. Chin's earned the right to lean into Danny's personal space if he wants to, and Steve can shut the hell up about it, the fucker. "You too," he adds, sending a scowl Kono's way.
Chin snorts, patting Danny's arm and leaning a little bit more, warm and solid and very much alive. So, yeah. Danny doesn't mind at all. He might even be doing a little leaning of his own.
The whole thing comes out when they're working on a case with a stolen jewels, drugs, guns, and a partridge in a pear tree. (Literally. Danny has no idea what kind of sick mind would think up such a thing, but apparently their main suspect thinks the way to win his wife back is through incredibly tasteless jewelry.)
"Wait, what's the judge's name?"
There's a significant pause on Chin's end of the line before he repeats the name of the Family Court judge he's sending Danny and Steve to talk to regarding the custody arrangement of Bonnie and Clyde and their five-year-old son. Their five-year-old son who never made it to daycare the same day his parents dropped off the face of the planet with half a million in stolen goods.
Danny pinches the bridge of his nose and slides a look at Steve who is beaming in a disturbingly friendly way at Rachel as they bond of their favorite tea blend, and this is not happening.
Only it is, because Steve happens to catch Danny looking at him and his smile goes from mimicking normal human behavior to demented muppet from hell, and, seriously, Danny shouldn't have gotten out of bed that morning.
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles, "we're on our way."
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Much, much later after the shooting and yelling and more shooting and more yelling and things exploding, Danny is trying to concentrate on writing his report. It's not hiding, exactly, just. Strategic withdrawal. Yeah, sure. That sounds like something Steve might buy, even if Danny knows it's a filthy, filthy lie.
Bonnie and Clyde are in jail, their son in the care of more law-abiding relatives and Danny is honestly beginning to think there's something in the water.
He's trying to write his report, but then Steve, stupid trigger-happy "I love it when things explode!" Steve wanders into Danny's office, like maybe it was just a coincidence.
He has his demented muppet from hell face on again, and also? Tea. Rachel's favorite, and fuck his life, he knew letting the two of them anywhere near each other was a giant fucking mistake.
Steve plants himself on the edge of Danny's desk and just. Stares. Danny didn't even know they had actual teacups at the station, but this is Steve he's dealing with. The man probably plans for every eventuality, like maybe there's going to be a hostage situation and the only thing that will soothe the savage hostage taker is afternoon tea.
...The sad thing is that since he met Steve, Danny's pretty sure something like that will happen at some point, and no one is going to bat an eye and Danny is going to look like the nut-job because, seriously? Tea.
"What?"
Steve doesn't say anything, just keeps staring and drinking his damn tea.
"I swear to God, if you don't - "
And finally, finally, Steve sets his tea down and and leans over to peer at Danny's face.
Danny leans back, instantly suspicious. "What?"
"Contempt of court?"
Danny scowls because of course Steve knows, whether through the judge or Rachel - probably Rachel, given the tea, and this is seriously not his day. "Shut up," Danny mutters, stabbing at Steve's thigh with a pen. Steve slides off his desk and takes the chair opposite Danny.
"You ranted Pukui into granting you alimony." Steve sounds impressed.
Danny shrugs. Pukui's a strict judge, but not the toughest Danny's met. "He said I had a point," Danny says, like he hadn't been shocked speechless when Pukui showed up at his holding cell and said just that, before having him released with a warning and a court order giving him weekends with Grace and court ordered alimony.
"Rachel says it was one of your better moments," Steve says, and there's something in his voice that has Danny looking up at him. Steve's smiling, actually smiling. Not smirking, just smiling.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Danny rolls his eyes because he remembers Rachel that day, angry and bitter and delighted that Danny had argued himself into being arrested for contempt of court. He's glad they're, mostly, past that now, but the fact Rachel's telling Steve things like that? Does not bode well for him.
Steve seems to know what he's thinking because the demented muppet from hell smirk reappears as he picks up his tea and settles comfortably into his chair, mouth opening to recount all the other stories Rachel's been telling him, and Danny seriously hates his life.
(I used this picture for the prompt.)
As much as Danny bitches about Hawaii, it's obviously insane inhabitants, and, well, Hawaii? He'd have to be blind not to appreciate how ridiculously beautiful the place is. And, sure, he's been there long enough, been a cop long enough to know what the tourists see when they come looking for paradise is just one side of Hawaii, but that's true for just about any other place in the world. Hawaii just has more pineapples than most, and God, doesn't that just kill him to think about.
"Hey," Steve's smiling, laughing at him, like he knows what Danny's thinking about, sitting next to him on the wooden pier, loose and relaxed and most of all, happy.
Danny grumbles, but it's half-hearted at best. There's a cool breeze taking the edge off the lingering heat until the warmth of the setting sun has him feeling lazy-drunk. Grace is laughing as she plays water-tag with Kono and Chin and a handful of urchins who are probably related to them in some way. It's been a long, exhausting week, and this? The beach, his daughter, his team? Better than paradise.
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