This Means Something [PG-13] Danny/Steve
The idea for this fic came from here. And because I do as freaking commanded I commenced writing it immediately. Then there was an awful period of being stuck and crying to queenklu who was all "Could you maybe not try and piss of the entire state of Hawaii with Danny's douchebaggery" And was all "oh okay, YES" So I FIXED it because I'm awesome like that. And now, now only maybe half of the State of Hawaii will be pissed off, but then totally all smiles at the end.
Also in case you didn't know.... queenklu IS A GODDESS OF UNKNOWN MAGNITUDE. Really, this would have sucked a lot more than it does if it hadn't been for her.
Title: This Means Something
Beta by: GODDESS queenklu
Pairing: Danny/Steve established
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Own nothing.
Word Count: 2672
A/N: All mistakes are mine. Especially the ones where Pidgin is actually spoken because it's not one of the languages I know.
Summary: And he can’t believe he just admitted that to himself. That he’s actually trying to learn Pidgin. Because of Steve and his goddamn mouth. That goddamn mouth that likes to dirty talk in fucking Pidgin and dammit all to hell Danny actually thinks it’s hot.
Danny doesn’t give a flying fuck that only .1% of natives can speak Hawaiian. Although, it is a horrible thought and he kind of feels a bit bad because it would suck if only .1% of people spoke English. And he certainly doesn’t give a rat's ass that pidgin and Hawaiian are two different languages. Though he probably should considering he’s taking a class. But whatever. It’s Sunday. Sunday, dammit! He should be kicking back with a Longboard and flipping through the channels in search of a game. Not writing a goddamn paper on the roots of the Hawaiian language. He’s not even supposed to be learning Hawaiian. He’s supposed to be learning Pidgin. And he can’t believe he just admitted that to himself. That he’s actually trying to learn Pidgin. Because of Steve and his goddamn mouth. That goddamn mouth that likes to dirty talk in fucking Pidgin and dammit all to hell Danny actually thinks it’s hot.
He rubs a hand over his face and forces himself not to tear up the four sentences he has written. He’s too cheap to buy a laptop for one ridiculous class. So it really is like he’s back in college because his apartment is about the size of his dorm room at the College of New Jersey. His desk was always covered in legal pads with barely legible writing, and criminology and psychology books opened to pages that were highlighted in a multitude of colors. He’d had to take a foreign language back then too, but he’d chosen Italian because he planned on staying in New Jersey for the rest of his life. He never thought he’d need to learn another language. And learning it at thirty-some-odd-years old is just a ridiculous age to learn a language. He barely passed Italian, but there’d been that really hot tutor that had always been there for him. Come to think of it he was pretty sure he learned most of his Italian in the bedroom. Great way to learn. And there’s an idea, except then Steve would get the wrong idea. He would think he was actually starting to like Hawaii.
Danny wiped the fond smile off his face at the memory and shook his head. That was probably one of those stories he should never share with Steve. Because Steve has a jealous streak the size of the damn Pacific Ocean. And sure sometimes it's hot and sure Danny does his fair share to provoke Steve on occasion. But Danny is a man. He doesn't need Steve always behaving like a Neanderthal and acting like Danny is some helpless little girl that needs rescuing from the big bad men. Danny can rescue himself just fine. Not that he's ever needed rescuing. He isn't a damn princess in a Disney movie.
Disney movies. That reminds him. That new one is coming out soon and he had promised Grace he would get it for her. He quickly jots down a note in the corner of the legal pad to remind himself. Okay. He really needs to shut down his mind and finish this goddamn paper. This is his only free day. It’s not like he can work on it at work. Yeah, he can just see that now. Jotting down a few sentences here and there while Steve drives them around town mowing down criminals. At the office, asking Kono and Chin questions and learning pronunciation. The teasing would be unbearable. They would never let up. They’d still be cracking jokes at his funeral about the Haloe trying to learn pidgin. And Steve would never drop it. He’d be so sure this means Danny is finally coming around to Hawaii. Which, he definitely is not. Pidgin isn't even a real language. Well, maybe to Steve and Chin and Kono and the whole damn island. English is. Italian is. Pidgin is surfer speak mixed in with words taken from so many other languages Danny can’t even name them all. He wonders if that might be on a test at some point.
“Ugh,” he says to the empty apartment. He gives himself a couple slaps in the face and buckles down. Because writing a paper shouldn’t mean he’s got to go all introspective on himself. It’s just a paper. And he’s just learning a language for work purposes. Yeah. That’s it. Work purposes.
On Tuesday night Steve tries to sweet talk Danny into dinner. In bed. Danny is so tempted, but his paper is due. He cannot wait to be rid of this paper. It’s ruining his life. Like way more than anything else in Hawaii.
“Babe, I can’t. It’s Tuesday.”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Forgot.” And he does that sad thing with his eyes that makes Danny want to punch himself. He almost takes it back. Almost decides to skip class. Then he remembers the paper he stuffed in his glove compartment this morning. The paper that he’d gotten to HQ early that morning just so he could type up.
Danny gives a little finger wave to the team and heads for the door, trying to forget the stupid sad eyes.
The good thing about night classes, Danny isn’t the only adult in the class. In fact, there’re only two kids. They look completely knackered. He figures they’re paying their own way and he’s immediately thankful for his parents and everything they have ever done for him in the entire history of his life. He also knows he never, ever wants Grace to look that worn down. He hands in his paper and the entire weight of the world is lifted off his shoulders.
Later that night he shows up at Steve’s house with a pack of beer and a pizza; pineapple and ham on half.
Thursday night rolls around and Danny is back in class. He’s got the paper in his hands and it’s got a giant, red C- on it. He’s cool with that. Whatever. But then he gets back the slip of paper from his oral midterm. That’s not so good because he’s not paying good money to fail a class. There’s some stupid comment on it about how his heart doesn’t seem to be in it and learning Pidgin is all about heart and family, ohana. He’s half tempted to just quit the class right then because of course his heart is in it. Hello, he paid hundreds of dollars to be here. Except, if he quit now he wouldn’t get those hundreds of dollars back, its way past the deadline for that.
Danny has to work straight through the weekend because their latest case involves the yakuza. And obviously because Danny is the haloe the suspect they have in custody (thanks to one flying tackle courteous of Super SEAL) he won’t say a word to Danny. So he’s standing there, in the corner of the interrogation room, arms over his chest while he watches Steve get some answers. That’s when Danny slips up.
“Brah, em a bobora. He mo nupela long the haloe hap.”
And Danny is so sick of being insulted all of the fucking time by everyone on this godforsaken island. He pushes past Steve and grabs the suspect by the front of. his stupid Hawaiian shirt. “Hey.” He says. “Hey. Look at me. You’re going to tell me. I said look at me. You’re going to tell me exactly where he is, you got that? I don’t care if I have to go down to the boat he just came in on ya mami pima. Because I will, I will paitim your ass.”
“Whoa, brah. This ‘ere haloe a man bilong pait.”
“I’m a. I’m a man bilong pait.” Danny turns to look at Steve. “He thinks I’m aggressive. Did you hear that?” And that’s when Danny realizes he may have messed up just a little because he’s not supposed to know Pidgin. He’s supposed to ask Steve what the hell was said when they’re back in the privacy of the office or the bullpen. But he didn’t. He interrupted and now Steve is giving him the You Know I Know You’re Hiding Something Face and Danny doesn’t even want to think about the epicness of the fight that might ensue.
“Yeah,” Steve says, eyes not moving from Danny, “yeah I heard that.”
“Well, then. I suppose I’ll just. I’ll just leave then. Yeah.” And Danny is out the door and nearly running to his office.
“Whoa brah. Everything okay?” Kono asks, but he ignores her and shuts his office door behind him. A lot of good that does because everything in the place is made of glass so Kono can still see him. Can still see that he’s gone a bit white, and that his eyes are wide and wild. So she does the only thing she can, she knocks on the door. “Hey Danny. Danny what’s up?”
He knows that they could possibly have a tug of war with the door, but more than likely Kono would end up winning anyway. So he lets her in. Once she’s in he sets about locking the door and closing every single blind his office fucking has because no one else can know. No one.
He starts pacing behind his desk because what else is he supposed to do. He’s mouthing words, but no sound is coming out. And really how could he have been so stupid. Danny stops pacing suddenly, grabbing the back of his chair and facing Kono.
“I’m taking a night class.” Kono waits. Not sure why this constitutes a freak out, but she’s sure the answer is coming. “A language class. On Pidgin.” Kono smiles.
“That’s great, brah!” And she’s so happy that Danny finds himself even smiling a little. Because yeah. Yeah. This is good. There’s no mocking here, there’s just genuine happiness. Then he remembers Steve. The smile slides off his face.
“Yeah, except. Except Steve can’t know. You can’t tell him.”
“What? Why not?”
“You just can’t, okay. Promise me.”
“Alright, I promise.”
“Good, good.” There’s a bit of silence between them and Kono slides her hands into her pockets, rocking back and forth on her feet.
“Um, so how’s the class?”
Danny groans and falls back into the chair. “I honestly think the goal of the state of Hawaii is to kill me. Honestly kill me. The professor says I have no heart. What does that even mean? Of course I have heart. And obviously I want to learn. I paid the money for the class didn’t I? I show up every damn Tuesday and Thursday night for two goddamn hours? I have heart. I have plenty of heart.”
“Right.” Kono drags the word out because she’s pretty sure Danny doesn’t even believe the bull he’s slinging. “You want some help?”
“What?” he splutters. “No. What? Of course not. I don’t. Yes. Please. Just, yes.”
So Kono tutors Danny every Tuesday and Thursday for an hour before he goes to class and two hours every Sunday. The teacher seems to think he’s improving, but honestly Danny doesn’t see any difference except now he’s getting some advice on pronunciation. But Kono seems proud of him. And that’s. Yeah, that’s nice. So maybe he tries a little harder now, so that when he has a quiz or test he’s not ashamed to show off the results. And then one Sunday Kono shows up with the usual case of beer and the unusual company of Chin. Danny almost, almost slams the door shut in both of their faces. Before he can Kono and Chin are both smiling and happy and Kono’s defense is, “You said I couldn’t tell Steve. You said nothing about Chin.” And trust Kono to find a loophole.
That night they talk in only Pidgin. Danny learns more than he did in all of the previous weeks of sitting in class. And maybe this is why he has a team and friends. And he’s not embarrassed when he messes up a word and Chin corrects him and that’s a first.
Steve hasn’t said anything about Danny suddenly understanding Pidgin and Danny is most certainly not about to bring it up if he doesn’t have to. But it is getting worrisome. He keeps waiting. Waiting for Steve to back him up against the kitchen counter and demand some answers or pull the car over and wait in silence until Danny cracks. But he doesn’t. Nothing happens. So Danny waits. Because surely Super SEAL with his memory of a goddamn elephant hasn’t forgotten. Until then, though, Danny carries on as usual.
When his final rolls around Kono and Chin show up that Sunday morning with two cases of beer. Danny knows he’s in for a long day of studying and correcting, but he doesn’t lose his temper. He gets frustrated when he can’t understand something Chin has said, but Kono soothes him with a hand on his back. And he tries again, deconstructing the sentence word by word until he can answer Chin. And the smile on both of their faces is totally worth not losing his temper and burning his textbook. Because this is his family, this is his ohana. Except something is missing. Something’s not quite right. And he realizes its Steve. Steve should be here, Flip flop clad feet propped up on his coffee table, sipping a Longboard and letting the words flow off his tongue easily as they laugh about it all. And for a moment Danny feels guilty. Because maybe he judged his ohana too harshly.
He takes his final on Tuesday, and Wednesday he can barely concentrate. He can’t have failed. It’s damn near impossible because the entire day he’s making jokes with Kono and interviewing witnesses and he’s slipping in and out of English and Pidgin just as easily as Steve. And Steve, Steve just stands there. He stands there because he doesn’t know what’s going on and why everyone else seems to. He wants to grab Danny and shake him until he tells him. But Steve can’t make Danny trust him. Can’t make him trust him like he apparently trusts Chin and Kono. So he stands there.
On Thursday Steve offers to take Danny to wherever it is he’s going. Wherever it is he goes every Tuesday and Thursday.
“I’ll drive,” he says. Danny’s about to protest, but he doesn’t. And that’s something right there, something that makes the tightness in Steve’s chest uncurl just a little. He doesn’t want to lose Danny. Not when Danny and this life is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s trying. He really is, but maybe it’s not enough. And if it’s not he doesn’t know what to do then. “You don’t have to tell me,” Steve starts, “but you can. I just want you to know that you can.”
Danny takes a breath and then another one because deep down he still really expects Steve to just laugh at him.
“I’m learning Pidgin.” Steve really, really wants to tell Danny that he’d figured that out all by himself, but he bites his tongue because he’s trying here. They both are. “And you can laugh,” Danny says, interpreting the whole biting of the tongue in the entirely wrong way, “but I wish you wouldn’t. Because. Because it’s hard enough as it is being the outsider here and I thought I was taking the class because of the whole bedroom thing and then it morphed into something else and I don’t really know anymore. I don’t know.” Steve process that, going over everything is his mind, everything it means that Danny doesn’t know and he smiles. Because he knows, he knows even if Danny doesn’t.
Danny refuses to look at Steve for some time. But then he does. And Steve is smiling that stupid goofy smile that’s a little bit blinding and a whole lot endearing. And whoa. What was that? Are those goddamn butterflies in his stomach? No. Just no. Danny Williams is a man. He does not get butterflies. For anyone. And Steve just keeps smiling. And yeah. Okay. Maybe.
“It’s cause you love me,” Steve tells him. All proud like he broke some stupid encryption and saved Hawaii and all of mankind with his stupid super SEAL powers.
“Yeah, whatever.” Because Danny will admit nothing. But Steve won’t stop smiling.
Also in case you didn't know.... queenklu IS A GODDESS OF UNKNOWN MAGNITUDE. Really, this would have sucked a lot more than it does if it hadn't been for her.
Title: This Means Something
Beta by: GODDESS queenklu
Pairing: Danny/Steve established
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Own nothing.
Word Count: 2672
A/N: All mistakes are mine. Especially the ones where Pidgin is actually spoken because it's not one of the languages I know.
Summary: And he can’t believe he just admitted that to himself. That he’s actually trying to learn Pidgin. Because of Steve and his goddamn mouth. That goddamn mouth that likes to dirty talk in fucking Pidgin and dammit all to hell Danny actually thinks it’s hot.
Danny doesn’t give a flying fuck that only .1% of natives can speak Hawaiian. Although, it is a horrible thought and he kind of feels a bit bad because it would suck if only .1% of people spoke English. And he certainly doesn’t give a rat's ass that pidgin and Hawaiian are two different languages. Though he probably should considering he’s taking a class. But whatever. It’s Sunday. Sunday, dammit! He should be kicking back with a Longboard and flipping through the channels in search of a game. Not writing a goddamn paper on the roots of the Hawaiian language. He’s not even supposed to be learning Hawaiian. He’s supposed to be learning Pidgin. And he can’t believe he just admitted that to himself. That he’s actually trying to learn Pidgin. Because of Steve and his goddamn mouth. That goddamn mouth that likes to dirty talk in fucking Pidgin and dammit all to hell Danny actually thinks it’s hot.
He rubs a hand over his face and forces himself not to tear up the four sentences he has written. He’s too cheap to buy a laptop for one ridiculous class. So it really is like he’s back in college because his apartment is about the size of his dorm room at the College of New Jersey. His desk was always covered in legal pads with barely legible writing, and criminology and psychology books opened to pages that were highlighted in a multitude of colors. He’d had to take a foreign language back then too, but he’d chosen Italian because he planned on staying in New Jersey for the rest of his life. He never thought he’d need to learn another language. And learning it at thirty-some-odd-years old is just a ridiculous age to learn a language. He barely passed Italian, but there’d been that really hot tutor that had always been there for him. Come to think of it he was pretty sure he learned most of his Italian in the bedroom. Great way to learn. And there’s an idea, except then Steve would get the wrong idea. He would think he was actually starting to like Hawaii.
Danny wiped the fond smile off his face at the memory and shook his head. That was probably one of those stories he should never share with Steve. Because Steve has a jealous streak the size of the damn Pacific Ocean. And sure sometimes it's hot and sure Danny does his fair share to provoke Steve on occasion. But Danny is a man. He doesn't need Steve always behaving like a Neanderthal and acting like Danny is some helpless little girl that needs rescuing from the big bad men. Danny can rescue himself just fine. Not that he's ever needed rescuing. He isn't a damn princess in a Disney movie.
Disney movies. That reminds him. That new one is coming out soon and he had promised Grace he would get it for her. He quickly jots down a note in the corner of the legal pad to remind himself. Okay. He really needs to shut down his mind and finish this goddamn paper. This is his only free day. It’s not like he can work on it at work. Yeah, he can just see that now. Jotting down a few sentences here and there while Steve drives them around town mowing down criminals. At the office, asking Kono and Chin questions and learning pronunciation. The teasing would be unbearable. They would never let up. They’d still be cracking jokes at his funeral about the Haloe trying to learn pidgin. And Steve would never drop it. He’d be so sure this means Danny is finally coming around to Hawaii. Which, he definitely is not. Pidgin isn't even a real language. Well, maybe to Steve and Chin and Kono and the whole damn island. English is. Italian is. Pidgin is surfer speak mixed in with words taken from so many other languages Danny can’t even name them all. He wonders if that might be on a test at some point.
“Ugh,” he says to the empty apartment. He gives himself a couple slaps in the face and buckles down. Because writing a paper shouldn’t mean he’s got to go all introspective on himself. It’s just a paper. And he’s just learning a language for work purposes. Yeah. That’s it. Work purposes.
On Tuesday night Steve tries to sweet talk Danny into dinner. In bed. Danny is so tempted, but his paper is due. He cannot wait to be rid of this paper. It’s ruining his life. Like way more than anything else in Hawaii.
“Babe, I can’t. It’s Tuesday.”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Forgot.” And he does that sad thing with his eyes that makes Danny want to punch himself. He almost takes it back. Almost decides to skip class. Then he remembers the paper he stuffed in his glove compartment this morning. The paper that he’d gotten to HQ early that morning just so he could type up.
Danny gives a little finger wave to the team and heads for the door, trying to forget the stupid sad eyes.
The good thing about night classes, Danny isn’t the only adult in the class. In fact, there’re only two kids. They look completely knackered. He figures they’re paying their own way and he’s immediately thankful for his parents and everything they have ever done for him in the entire history of his life. He also knows he never, ever wants Grace to look that worn down. He hands in his paper and the entire weight of the world is lifted off his shoulders.
Later that night he shows up at Steve’s house with a pack of beer and a pizza; pineapple and ham on half.
Thursday night rolls around and Danny is back in class. He’s got the paper in his hands and it’s got a giant, red C- on it. He’s cool with that. Whatever. But then he gets back the slip of paper from his oral midterm. That’s not so good because he’s not paying good money to fail a class. There’s some stupid comment on it about how his heart doesn’t seem to be in it and learning Pidgin is all about heart and family, ohana. He’s half tempted to just quit the class right then because of course his heart is in it. Hello, he paid hundreds of dollars to be here. Except, if he quit now he wouldn’t get those hundreds of dollars back, its way past the deadline for that.
Danny has to work straight through the weekend because their latest case involves the yakuza. And obviously because Danny is the haloe the suspect they have in custody (thanks to one flying tackle courteous of Super SEAL) he won’t say a word to Danny. So he’s standing there, in the corner of the interrogation room, arms over his chest while he watches Steve get some answers. That’s when Danny slips up.
“Brah, em a bobora. He mo nupela long the haloe hap.”
And Danny is so sick of being insulted all of the fucking time by everyone on this godforsaken island. He pushes past Steve and grabs the suspect by the front of. his stupid Hawaiian shirt. “Hey.” He says. “Hey. Look at me. You’re going to tell me. I said look at me. You’re going to tell me exactly where he is, you got that? I don’t care if I have to go down to the boat he just came in on ya mami pima. Because I will, I will paitim your ass.”
“Whoa, brah. This ‘ere haloe a man bilong pait.”
“I’m a. I’m a man bilong pait.” Danny turns to look at Steve. “He thinks I’m aggressive. Did you hear that?” And that’s when Danny realizes he may have messed up just a little because he’s not supposed to know Pidgin. He’s supposed to ask Steve what the hell was said when they’re back in the privacy of the office or the bullpen. But he didn’t. He interrupted and now Steve is giving him the You Know I Know You’re Hiding Something Face and Danny doesn’t even want to think about the epicness of the fight that might ensue.
“Yeah,” Steve says, eyes not moving from Danny, “yeah I heard that.”
“Well, then. I suppose I’ll just. I’ll just leave then. Yeah.” And Danny is out the door and nearly running to his office.
“Whoa brah. Everything okay?” Kono asks, but he ignores her and shuts his office door behind him. A lot of good that does because everything in the place is made of glass so Kono can still see him. Can still see that he’s gone a bit white, and that his eyes are wide and wild. So she does the only thing she can, she knocks on the door. “Hey Danny. Danny what’s up?”
He knows that they could possibly have a tug of war with the door, but more than likely Kono would end up winning anyway. So he lets her in. Once she’s in he sets about locking the door and closing every single blind his office fucking has because no one else can know. No one.
He starts pacing behind his desk because what else is he supposed to do. He’s mouthing words, but no sound is coming out. And really how could he have been so stupid. Danny stops pacing suddenly, grabbing the back of his chair and facing Kono.
“I’m taking a night class.” Kono waits. Not sure why this constitutes a freak out, but she’s sure the answer is coming. “A language class. On Pidgin.” Kono smiles.
“That’s great, brah!” And she’s so happy that Danny finds himself even smiling a little. Because yeah. Yeah. This is good. There’s no mocking here, there’s just genuine happiness. Then he remembers Steve. The smile slides off his face.
“Yeah, except. Except Steve can’t know. You can’t tell him.”
“What? Why not?”
“You just can’t, okay. Promise me.”
“Alright, I promise.”
“Good, good.” There’s a bit of silence between them and Kono slides her hands into her pockets, rocking back and forth on her feet.
“Um, so how’s the class?”
Danny groans and falls back into the chair. “I honestly think the goal of the state of Hawaii is to kill me. Honestly kill me. The professor says I have no heart. What does that even mean? Of course I have heart. And obviously I want to learn. I paid the money for the class didn’t I? I show up every damn Tuesday and Thursday night for two goddamn hours? I have heart. I have plenty of heart.”
“Right.” Kono drags the word out because she’s pretty sure Danny doesn’t even believe the bull he’s slinging. “You want some help?”
“What?” he splutters. “No. What? Of course not. I don’t. Yes. Please. Just, yes.”
So Kono tutors Danny every Tuesday and Thursday for an hour before he goes to class and two hours every Sunday. The teacher seems to think he’s improving, but honestly Danny doesn’t see any difference except now he’s getting some advice on pronunciation. But Kono seems proud of him. And that’s. Yeah, that’s nice. So maybe he tries a little harder now, so that when he has a quiz or test he’s not ashamed to show off the results. And then one Sunday Kono shows up with the usual case of beer and the unusual company of Chin. Danny almost, almost slams the door shut in both of their faces. Before he can Kono and Chin are both smiling and happy and Kono’s defense is, “You said I couldn’t tell Steve. You said nothing about Chin.” And trust Kono to find a loophole.
That night they talk in only Pidgin. Danny learns more than he did in all of the previous weeks of sitting in class. And maybe this is why he has a team and friends. And he’s not embarrassed when he messes up a word and Chin corrects him and that’s a first.
Steve hasn’t said anything about Danny suddenly understanding Pidgin and Danny is most certainly not about to bring it up if he doesn’t have to. But it is getting worrisome. He keeps waiting. Waiting for Steve to back him up against the kitchen counter and demand some answers or pull the car over and wait in silence until Danny cracks. But he doesn’t. Nothing happens. So Danny waits. Because surely Super SEAL with his memory of a goddamn elephant hasn’t forgotten. Until then, though, Danny carries on as usual.
When his final rolls around Kono and Chin show up that Sunday morning with two cases of beer. Danny knows he’s in for a long day of studying and correcting, but he doesn’t lose his temper. He gets frustrated when he can’t understand something Chin has said, but Kono soothes him with a hand on his back. And he tries again, deconstructing the sentence word by word until he can answer Chin. And the smile on both of their faces is totally worth not losing his temper and burning his textbook. Because this is his family, this is his ohana. Except something is missing. Something’s not quite right. And he realizes its Steve. Steve should be here, Flip flop clad feet propped up on his coffee table, sipping a Longboard and letting the words flow off his tongue easily as they laugh about it all. And for a moment Danny feels guilty. Because maybe he judged his ohana too harshly.
He takes his final on Tuesday, and Wednesday he can barely concentrate. He can’t have failed. It’s damn near impossible because the entire day he’s making jokes with Kono and interviewing witnesses and he’s slipping in and out of English and Pidgin just as easily as Steve. And Steve, Steve just stands there. He stands there because he doesn’t know what’s going on and why everyone else seems to. He wants to grab Danny and shake him until he tells him. But Steve can’t make Danny trust him. Can’t make him trust him like he apparently trusts Chin and Kono. So he stands there.
On Thursday Steve offers to take Danny to wherever it is he’s going. Wherever it is he goes every Tuesday and Thursday.
“I’ll drive,” he says. Danny’s about to protest, but he doesn’t. And that’s something right there, something that makes the tightness in Steve’s chest uncurl just a little. He doesn’t want to lose Danny. Not when Danny and this life is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s trying. He really is, but maybe it’s not enough. And if it’s not he doesn’t know what to do then. “You don’t have to tell me,” Steve starts, “but you can. I just want you to know that you can.”
Danny takes a breath and then another one because deep down he still really expects Steve to just laugh at him.
“I’m learning Pidgin.” Steve really, really wants to tell Danny that he’d figured that out all by himself, but he bites his tongue because he’s trying here. They both are. “And you can laugh,” Danny says, interpreting the whole biting of the tongue in the entirely wrong way, “but I wish you wouldn’t. Because. Because it’s hard enough as it is being the outsider here and I thought I was taking the class because of the whole bedroom thing and then it morphed into something else and I don’t really know anymore. I don’t know.” Steve process that, going over everything is his mind, everything it means that Danny doesn’t know and he smiles. Because he knows, he knows even if Danny doesn’t.
Danny refuses to look at Steve for some time. But then he does. And Steve is smiling that stupid goofy smile that’s a little bit blinding and a whole lot endearing. And whoa. What was that? Are those goddamn butterflies in his stomach? No. Just no. Danny Williams is a man. He does not get butterflies. For anyone. And Steve just keeps smiling. And yeah. Okay. Maybe.
“It’s cause you love me,” Steve tells him. All proud like he broke some stupid encryption and saved Hawaii and all of mankind with his stupid super SEAL powers.
“Yeah, whatever.” Because Danny will admit nothing. But Steve won’t stop smiling.