Danny's been waiting with the largest towel they've got and a disgusting green wheat-something-grass protein shake. He extends the both of them to Steve expectantly. "Warmth and breakfast. Choose which you want first," he instructs with a nod, settling back into the lounging chair that he'd built -- and has built two more of, since.
"Towel. Mmm, thanks," Steve murmurs, setting the bag down on the sand and taking care not to drop it too quickly - it'd be a rookie mistake if the shells broke and managed to slice through the bag, cutting someone in the process.
He strips off the gloves he wears to deal with the oysters themselves and reaches for the towel, rubbing it over his face first before starting in on his arms. Grinning slowly, he leans over Danny as he sits in the chair, doing his best not to drip on him as he brushes cold lips over his forehead.
Danny peers up at Steve expectantly, pulling a face when he ends up getting the chaste forehead kiss. He crosses a leg over the other, rolling up the sleeves of his baseball jersey. "Really?" he deadpans. "That's it? A forehead kiss? What am I, your pre-teen daughter?"
"You saying you want more?" Steve teases, one eyebrow popping up as he absently runs the towel over his front. He tosses it into the other lounging chair seconds before he braces one hand on the armrest of the one Danny's sitting in, leaning over him and tipping his chin up with a few fingers.
"Didn't think you liked the taste of salt water," he adds, pressing cool lips and heated tongue against Danny's in a gentle, grateful kiss.
Rachel and Steve are totally bonding. Well, at least Rachel likes to think of it as bonding. Her new doctor wants her to bring in a food diary every few weeks and Steve's like, coaching her on it. Teaching her how to get enough calories in a healthy way and blah blah blah. Basically she drinks a lot of shakes now. She and Raylan's place being just down the beach from Danny and Steve's has it's advantages and she has to admit as Steve rises out of the water like some kind of Playboy G.I.JOE, that this is one of them.
"Morning," she murmurs, for once not strolling in her bikini. It's still not exactly a baby bump. Looks more like she ate a big lunch, but it's enough to make her feel self conscious.
"Hey," Steve greets her, grinning broadly as he stands up from the crouch he's fallen into in order to glance through the contents of the bag. He rises and steps to one side so the sun isn't shining directly in his eyes, but standing straight, he's looking down at her now, which makes it a little easier.
"How's it going this morning?" She hasn't complained about any sickness lately as far as he's aware, but he's not exactly sure how long that phase usually lasts.
"Better," she murmurs, flipping her sunglasses on top of her head. "Drinking my shakes like a good girl. Having trouble buttoning my shorts so I guess that's a good sign. You hunting and gathering like a manly man?"
"Good," Steve says encouragingly, even though he knows full well how Rachel's starting to feel about the weight gain. "Look, if it's any consolation, you look great."
He grins slightly at her words, pulling the string to draw the bag in tight. "Got a pretty good haul this morning. Should be enough for the Winchester plus some extra."
Really, Jack was starting to wonder if he should do all his fishing shirtless. There'd been Harkness a couple days ago and now McGarrett and he was just starting to look bad wearing a Hawaiian print shirt and cargo shorts.
Then again, he had his kid with him, so he probably earned wearing a shirt. William was quiet, as usual, but he squeezed Jack's hand every once in a while and his heart kind of melted.
"Taking the little guy fishing, just the usual. Don't do it shirtless, though."
"Colonel," Steve murmurs, addressing him by title first in something of a tongue-in-cheek gesture, his seriousness only betrayed by the smile he has on his face when Jack heads nearer with blonde-haired boy in tow.
"It's not for everyone," he adds lightly, peering down at the kid standing with them. "Who's this you've got with you?"
Jack hadn’t seen McGarrett since Daniel and Vala disappeared and taking on a kid and learning the ropes of caring for a two year old on a daily basis had kind of eaten all of his time. He’d just now gotten the swing of it enough to call it a routine instead of a time invasion.
“Buddy, say hi to Steve,” Jack coaxed, but he didn’t know if William would talk. He was kinda quiet, which was weird in a house with Jack O’Neill, but it was what it was.
[[Feel free to mod him talking or not, up to you :)]]
The term of ward is what gets Steve. As far as he's aware, that kind of word only seems to be thrown around in the wake of a disappearance here, usually after the parents have gone and unfortunately, only the children have been left behind. Steve doesn't know if that's what applies here, but if Jack has taken on the responsibility of caring for someone whose parents have gone, he earns all the more respect just by committing to it.
"Hey, buddy," he says to William, crouching down in order to put himself on his level and offering a hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you." He doesn't earn much more than a shy smile in return, but it's better than nothing. "He's living with you and Colonel Carter now?"
Kon had never met the guy, but surfers tended to be able to spot their own or, on the island, it was pretty easy to see who really was a surfer because there weren't a hundred people paddling around the kiddy end of the pool with their surfboards. He'd seen the guy out on the waves a few times and it was probably obvious that he could surf because he was carrying his board. He planted it in the sand and offered the guy a hand.
"Hey. We going to be seeing that in the kitchen or is that a private haul?"
That was one thing he'd never done on the island. One thing he'd never been taught. Fishing.
Steve nods after a beat. He's seen the kid out on the waves a few times, usually right as he's leaving or right when he starts to show up. Surf enough times and you know how to read the water for the right conditions, and Steve would be out there surfing right now if not for the work he has to do first. There's a part of him that eyes the kid's board jealously, especially since his own was designed for Danny and is a little too short for him to use without making some adjustments.
"Both, hopefully," he says. "Mostly the kitchen, though, we're all fine at home for the most part."
Kon wasn't sure whether to be pleased or not. There were definite times when he got sick of seafood and, while there were other animals on the island, seafood was the most plentiful. It wasn't like there was a wild herd - was herd the right word? - of chickens out there running around. Or steak. He would love a good steak.
"Cool. Someone has to keep us fed and I think if they had to rely on me, we'd all starve. I don't know one end of a fishing pole from the other."
He's only seen the kid from a distance, but up close, Steve is struck by how much he resembles Clark. Then again, Clark hasn't exactly made mention of someone else who looks like him around here, so either they've just grown accustomed to each other's resemblances or he doesn't know about him yet. Steve hasn't been one of those residents affected, but apparently the old saying that everyone has a lookalike out there rings true, and no truer than in this place. He's pretty convinced that there are even some triples.
"It's not too difficult, really, and there are a variety of methods you can use," he replies. "Traditional bait and hook - some people fish off the pier to get out into deeper waters - and then there's the spear, but that takes some timing. I've had practice diving, so." He shifts the bag over his shoulder. "Probably going to head out into the jungle and set some traps for boar next week."
If there's any truth that Hermione's beginning to acknowledge as universal, it's the fact that everything moves on. Wounds heal, cracks fill, everything smoothing over once enough time passes and enough opportunities are found. The battle to situate herself on the island is not one that Hermione enjoys fighting, the choice between making a home and returning to one always warring in her mind. But it could be worse. It could be worse, and it has been worse, and today, with the sun shining down and a light breeze at her arms, Hermione finds herself hard-pressed to complain. She smiles at the man who approaches, still feeling that warmth whenever someone goes out of their way to greet her.
People on the island are, indeed, kind.
"Fairly well, actually," she replies with a soft nod. "Things are going well today. And yourself? It looks like you've brought in quite a catch."
Some things are still more of a reflex than others, especially certain mannerisms he tends to slip back into from time to time. Being on the island is a constant reminder of home. It makes the living here that much easier, the fact that this could just as easily be Oahu if he closed his eyes and allowed himself to perceive it as such. Growing up on Hawaii had taught him all the local slang, the ability to fall back into the speak of the people he'd learned from, surfed with, played football alongside. They're words he catches himself using even now, before he remembers that not everyone is probably familiar - this young woman being one of them, especially if her accent is any indication. There's something in her quiet observance of him - and the accent, undoubtedly - that reminds him of Danny's former Rachel.
"It was a good day out there. The water's clear, calm. It'll start to pick up soon, though. I was almost tempted to head back out there later to catch some quick waves," he admits, peering in the direction of the water.
Hermione appreciates the view as much as anyone else on the island does, she believes. There is something calming about the constant crash of waves, the way the foam picks up and rolls onto the shore, leaves behind the tiniest of bubbles that tickle underneath one's feet. The cleanliness of the place is certainly something that Hermione appreciates as well. With magic, keeping a place tidy and clean often comes to be easier than it is for muggles, but having split her time a great deal growing up, Hermione knows just how hard it is to keep a place in pristine condition, that it takes the efforts of a great deal of people, pieced together. It's only a relative lack of familiarity of the waves and their tendencies that keeps her from wandering out into the water more often
( ... )
"It's mostly a challenge of balance," Steve replies, shrugging briefly. "I've taught a couple people outside of a class already, and some of them have done really well." Buffy took to it fairly naturally after the first initial falls, but she has this self-possession in her that Steve's still trying to figure out, inner strength that doesn't seem completely natural for someone of her stature. But he's never gotten around to actually asking her outright, and that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't enjoy her company otherwise. It just means his curiosity has been piqued - officially. He glances back down at the girl and smiles.
"Once you get the hang of it, there's literally nothing else like it in the world," he promises, momentarily reflecting on the memory of catching his very first wave and that elation he still experiences every time he has since then.
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He strips off the gloves he wears to deal with the oysters themselves and reaches for the towel, rubbing it over his face first before starting in on his arms. Grinning slowly, he leans over Danny as he sits in the chair, doing his best not to drip on him as he brushes cold lips over his forehead.
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"Didn't think you liked the taste of salt water," he adds, pressing cool lips and heated tongue against Danny's in a gentle, grateful kiss.
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"Morning," she murmurs, for once not strolling in her bikini. It's still not exactly a baby bump. Looks more like she ate a big lunch, but it's enough to make her feel self conscious.
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"How's it going this morning?" She hasn't complained about any sickness lately as far as he's aware, but he's not exactly sure how long that phase usually lasts.
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He grins slightly at her words, pulling the string to draw the bag in tight. "Got a pretty good haul this morning. Should be enough for the Winchester plus some extra."
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Then again, he had his kid with him, so he probably earned wearing a shirt. William was quiet, as usual, but he squeezed Jack's hand every once in a while and his heart kind of melted.
"Taking the little guy fishing, just the usual. Don't do it shirtless, though."
Reply
"It's not for everyone," he adds lightly, peering down at the kid standing with them. "Who's this you've got with you?"
Reply
Jack hadn’t seen McGarrett since Daniel and Vala disappeared and taking on a kid and learning the ropes of caring for a two year old on a daily basis had kind of eaten all of his time. He’d just now gotten the swing of it enough to call it a routine instead of a time invasion.
“Buddy, say hi to Steve,” Jack coaxed, but he didn’t know if William would talk. He was kinda quiet, which was weird in a house with Jack O’Neill, but it was what it was.
[[Feel free to mod him talking or not, up to you :)]]
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"Hey, buddy," he says to William, crouching down in order to put himself on his level and offering a hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you." He doesn't earn much more than a shy smile in return, but it's better than nothing. "He's living with you and Colonel Carter now?"
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"Hey. We going to be seeing that in the kitchen or is that a private haul?"
That was one thing he'd never done on the island. One thing he'd never been taught. Fishing.
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"Both, hopefully," he says. "Mostly the kitchen, though, we're all fine at home for the most part."
Reply
"Cool. Someone has to keep us fed and I think if they had to rely on me, we'd all starve. I don't know one end of a fishing pole from the other."
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"It's not too difficult, really, and there are a variety of methods you can use," he replies. "Traditional bait and hook - some people fish off the pier to get out into deeper waters - and then there's the spear, but that takes some timing. I've had practice diving, so." He shifts the bag over his shoulder. "Probably going to head out into the jungle and set some traps for boar next week."
Reply
People on the island are, indeed, kind.
"Fairly well, actually," she replies with a soft nod. "Things are going well today. And yourself? It looks like you've brought in quite a catch."
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"It was a good day out there. The water's clear, calm. It'll start to pick up soon, though. I was almost tempted to head back out there later to catch some quick waves," he admits, peering in the direction of the water.
Reply
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"Once you get the hang of it, there's literally nothing else like it in the world," he promises, momentarily reflecting on the memory of catching his very first wave and that elation he still experiences every time he has since then.
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