Mea Aloha [PG] Steve/Danny, Grace, Chin, Kono
This is for queenklu 's birthday! It started out as just 900 words and then it morphed and grew. And it's got so much fluff that marshmallows are jealous of this fic. Also, I wrote this in like two hours and it's not beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Be nice when pointing them out please.
If men being gentlemen and expecting other men to be gentlemen in any way offends you do not read this! Seriously. I have this THING for nice guys okay and they NEVER finish last in my book. Also this is Steve and Chin obviously they're gentlemen.
Title: Mea Aloha
Pairing: Steve/Danny established, Grace, Chin, Kono
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Own nothing.
Word Count: 4,000
Notes: Mea Aloha means beloved.
Summary: “He used to give me a hug everyday and he’d push me on the swing, but then he started pushing another girl on the swing and Kiloni says it’s because they had a date and I’ve never been on a date and I can’t go on a date with him if I’ve never been on a date. Will you take me on a date, Steve? Please?”
“Step-Steve,” Grace says one night. The three of them are at the dining room table having a dinner prepared by Grace herself. Mac and cheese with hot dogs cut up in it. She has that tone that Danny gets when he’s about to suggest something that Steve will eventually cave to. Not good that Grace is already taking after Danny and his tones. “You take Danno on dates, right?” Well, that was unexpected.
“Um,” he says. “Yes.” It comes out more of a question than a statement. He doesn’t really know where this is going and that’s a little nerve wracking.
“So then if you like someone that means you take them on a date?”
Steve’s eyes are wide as he looks across the table at Danny. Danny has a look that’s half laughter and half wanting to strangle whatever boy is putting thoughts of dating into his nine year old daughter’s head.
“You know you’re only nine, right?” Steve asks. Grace rolls her eyes because obviously Steve is being ridiculous.
“Steve.” And that’s the exasperated tone that Danny uses when he’s blown up another building or driven a car onto a ship.
“Yes. Yes, dates are involved.”
“What else is involved?” she asks. Steve’s fork clatters against his plate and he does a spectacular interpretation of a goldfish. Danny decides to save him.
“Nothing that my monkey needs to concern herself with.” He ruffles her hair, which earns him the look of death as she smoothes it back down.
“Did you kiss Step-Steve on the first date?”
“Jesus!” Danny says. Now, it's his forks turn to clatter against the plate. He rubs a hand over his face at a loss for words. There’s no way he can answer that question truthfully because they did a whole lot more than kiss. There was some serious groping and kissing in places other than the mouth. Very awesome places. Still not something he was going to tell his daughter. Whether she was nine or ninety. Steve notices that Danny is somehow managing to both blush and look pale.
Steve has managed to somehow find his words and he uses them like Danny is always telling him to do.
“Gracie. Honey.” He begins. “We’re grownups. It’s different for us. Plus you’re a young lady and young ladies never kiss on the first date. You hear me?” Grace nods all wide eyes and innocence because she doesn’t know that one day a boy will want her to do more on the first date than kiss. And right now Steve is trying not to think about that because if he destroys a third dining room table Danny will quite possibly murder him and hide him in the freezer next to the peppermint patties.
“Exactly. You listen to your Step-Steve.” Danny says. His hands wave to drive home his point.
“How old were you when you had your first kiss, daddy?”
“Thirty.” He answers without hesitation.
“Why do you want to know about dating, Grace?” Steve asks before Grace can roll her eyes and make her dad tell her the truth.
“Because.” She ducks her head. Her mac and cheese is very interesting and if she pushes it around enough she can construct an entire tunnel system.
“Is there a boy at school?” Steve continues his questioning. Danny is giving him the no stop now turn back look. He ignores it like always.
“No. Well, maybe.” She takes a deep breath and lifts her head. Those blue eyes that are so much like Danny’s burn right through Steve’s soul. He doesn’t care if the boy she’s about to tell him about is nine years old, he’ll kick his ass, no questions asked. He’s trying to figure out how to explain it to the Governor when Grace starts up again. “He used to give me a hug everyday and he’d push me on the swing, but then he started pushing another girl on the swing and Kiloni says it’s because they had a date and I’ve never been on a date and I can’t go on a date with him if I’ve never been on a date. Will you take me on a date, Steve? Please?”
Whoa. How the hell had they ended up here? There was no saying no to this kid, so obviously he had to say yes. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that nine year olds, fucking nine year olds, were going on dates. What the hell was the world coming to?
He must’ve taken too long to answer because Grace has widened her eyes and her bottom lip is sticking out just the tiniest bit. “Please? Please Step-Steve?” And really he just about dies whenever she calls him Step-Steve. Because how can a kid this special, this adorable and lovely want him as her Step-Steve. So he says yes before he even realizes the words are coming out of his mouth. His eyes flick to Danny just in case he’s doing this wrong. He can’t screw up with Grace. But Danny has a hint of a smile on his face and Steve feels himself starting to grin. Apparently, this isn’t such a bad idea.
Saturday rolls around and Steve has convinced Rachel to let him and Danny have Grace for the day after explaining the whole dating thing to her. She thinks it’s cute and tells him as much.
The three of them spend the morning together in the house. Around noon Grace disappears upstairs. Before long there’s a knock at the door and Kono is bursting through and making her way upstairs. Not a word to Steve or Danny.
When Kono appears in her room, Grace wraps her arms around her waist and hugs her tight.
“What are you supposed to wear on a date?” Grace asks, still hugging Kono.
“A date, huh.” Kono says with a smile. “Well, it depends. Do you know where you’re going?” Grace shakes her head no. “Who are you going with? Knowing the guy can give you a bit to work with, figure out what type of date he might be taking you on.”
“Steve.”
“I’d say definitely casual then. You could be doing anything from hiking the jungle to surfing.”
“So jeans?”
Kono nods. “Want me to help you pick something out?” Grace nods enthusiastically. There’s no need for Kono to open Grace’s closet as most of its contents are spread over the bed. Grace tells her which pile are things she’s already discarded. It takes about half an hour, but Grace and Kono finally decide on an outfit.
“Do I need makeup? Because I don’t have any and I don’t know how to put it on? Am I supposed to wear it though?” Grace is so full of questions. And really she should have a notepad because this is a learning experience.
“What? Are you kidding? You’re too gorgeous for makeup.” Grace beams up at Kono. “Want me to braid your hair though?” She offers. Grace nods and obediently sits down on the bed so Kono can get to work.
“Kono,” she starts, “how old were you when you had your first kiss?”
“Fifteen,” she doesn’t hesitate with the answer because unlike Danny she thinks that’s an acceptable age. “We surfed together. He was almost as good as me.” Grace giggles. “I had braces and he had acne and a wave had wiped us both out. We were laughing and our mouths kind of ran into each other.”
“What was it like?”
“It was nice and I liked him so it was all good.” Kono finishes the French braid neatly before turning Grace to face her. “Hey, listen to me okay. Don’t ever kiss anyone you don’t like, okay? You tell me. You tell me if any boy you don’t like tries to make you because kisses are special. They’re only for special people.”
“Like Step-Steve and Danno?”
“Just like them.” Kono gives her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll go let them know you’re ready.” Once outside of the room Kono leans against the door and takes a deep breath. She wipes at her eyes and clears her throat before heading down the stairs.
“So when do I get my date?” She asks as soon as she reaches her bosses.
“Back off.” Danny growls. Kono just laughs. Then Grace is walking down the stairs and Danny is flashing to Homecomings and proms and weddings. Jesus, this is little girl. His baby. And sure it’s pretend because she’s going with Steve and there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Because the only time Grace is safer than when she is with Danny is when she’s with Steve. And Steve would take down the entire planet, the entire universe, before he let anything happen to Grace. But still. This is baby. And she’s going on a date. And she’s nine. He hates the world and time and age because this is baby and this moment is supposed to be lightyears away.
“Hey,” and Steve’s hand is at the small of his back, “hey breathe. She’ll always be yours. Always.” Danny lets out a breath and Steve gives him a quick kiss. “You look beautiful Grace. I like your hair.”
“Thanks. Kono did it.” Steve takes Grace’s hand and leads her out of the house. Danny watches them go.
Steve does everything for Grace that he expects and will demand a boy do for her. He opens the door and helps her into the cab of the truck. As they draw closer to the tourist attraction Steve had fought tooth and nail to get Danny to agree to, Grace grabs hold of the window and peers out, eyes wide trying to take in the entire Dole Plantation.
“This is where we're going? No one at school has ever been here. Their parents don’t have time or they say it’s too touristy. And Step-Stan says he’s allergic and Step-Steve this is so great. Thank you so much. This is the best date ever. Daddy’s so lucky.” Steve lets out a loud laugh because trust Grace to love something her dad nearly deemed too dangerous for a nine year old. Steve’s pretty sure he’s the lucky one though.
Steve takes her on the Pineapple Express and on several of the garden tours. Grace loves the maze though and even though Steve told her it was the world’s largest she didn’t quite believe him until she saw it. She grabbed his hand as soon as they stepped in. Because sure she knew Super SEAL could find her even in this miles and miles of towering green foliage she still didn’t want to get lost. Steve teaches her how to navigate a maze by keeping her right hand on the foliage next to her and marking places so that they know where they’ve been. Steve’s not trying to finish the maze quickly because he’s having a blast with Grace and pointing all the different kinds of Hawaiian plants.But then they’ve reached the center. And apparently they’re one of the families to have finished in the fastest time. Grace is jumping up and down because her name is going to be on a sign with Step-Steve’s saying how awesome they are. Plus there’s a prize. Which, hey, a box of pineapples is pretty awesome in Grace’s eyes.
They end the day at the Plantation Grille. Grace gets loco moco because it’s her favorite and Steve tries the chicken teriyaki. Steve lets her have the slice of grilled pineapple off his plate. He even lets her order a soda, which she is strictly forbidden to tell her mom about. Steve can’t believe how much Grace can eat of her meal and still light up when he mentions Dole Whip. She gets the souvenir cup and she’s nearly done when their waitress brings the bill.
Grace reaches for her purse. Steve quirks an eyebrow.
“What’re you doing, honey?” he asks when he sees her pull a few dollars out.
“I asked you, so that means I have to pay. That’s what you and daddy always do.” Steve leans over the table, placing his large hand over Grace’s impossibly small one.
“Guy always pays.”
“Always?”
“Always. And if he doesn’t you call me because he’s a-” Steve pauses because he’s not about to say ass in front of Grace. “a jerk.” She smiles.
“Okay.” She tells him. She pushes the money back into her purse while Steve pulls out his wallet and throws down a few bills. “What’re you going to do?”
“Hm?”
“If I call you because he doesn’t pay. What’re you going to do?”
“You let me worry about that.” He winks at her causing her to giggle.
Steve has them back home by seven o’clock because bedtime is at nine and she needs time to tell her dad absolutely every detail of the day. And also show him their box of pineapple that she says needs to be eaten before it goes bad. Danny looks pained, but agrees because it’s Grace. Danny asks all the right questions and before long it’s time for them to tuck her in bed. Grace grabs Steve’s hand before he can stand up from sitting on the edge of her princess bed.
“Thank you. This had to be the best date ever in the history of dates.”
“You deserve it, Gracie. Love you.” He kisses her cheek.
“Love you too, Step-Steve.”
Danny has to bring Grace to the office the next week because obviously Rachel likes to spring surprise visits on him. And really who is Danny to complain. Grace sits in Kono’s office working on homework. Her mother had made her promise to make sure she finished it before she did anything fun. She really hopes her mom never finds out how much fun being around Danno is then. Kono is sitting at her desk filling out forms. It’s a slow day. The most recent cases have all been wrapped up and nothing demanding the governor’s special task force has gone down in the last twenty-four hours.
Grace looks up from her pre-algebra homework. Asking questions isn’t considered fun for most people, so she decides it’s a perfectly acceptable thing to do while doing homework.
“Kono.” She looks up from her paperwork waiting for Grace to continue. “How many dates have you been on?”
Kono sets down her pen because she can tell that this is going to be another one of those conversations. “A few. Why do you ask?”
“Kiloni said that Tommy’s been on lots of dates and I’ve only ever been on one. And it was with Step-Steve and it was the best date ever, but.” She pauses. She’s not quite sure how to say this and she should because her dad is the master of words. “He’s my Step-Steve.”
Kono nods her head because she understands. At least she thinks she does. She never went through this stage, and if she did she doesn’t remember it.
“So you think you need another date before you talk to Tommy?” she surmises. Grace nods so hard Kono thinks her head might pop off. “Who did you have mind?”
“Uncle Chin.”
“You should ask him then.”
Grace completely agrees. So she sets her books to the side and jumps up. She’s almost out the door when she turns back.
“Kono, is it okay for a girl to ask a guy on a date?”
“Are you kidding me?” She says with a smile. “Of course it is. You really expect men to get anything done?” Grace smiles and flounces off to Chin’s office.
“Uncle Chin will you take me on a date?” Instead of being startled by the question he smiles easily, lounging back in his chair.
“A date, mea Aloha?” Grace nods, stepping into the office fully.
“Steve took me to the Dole Plantation and it was the best. But I need more experience before I try talking to Tommy. Kono and I agreed.”
“Well, then if you and Kono agreed then it must be so.”
Because Chin had told Danny where he was taking Grace and had given Steve the coordinates when asked, Grace knew exactly what to wear for her date this time. Kono still came over anyway. A girl’s second date was just as important as her first date, after all. Danny’s watching Kono brush Grace’s hair and pull it up into some sort of twisty ponytail that he’ll probably never be able to recreate.
“So this boy at school,” Danny begins.
“Dad.” And he swears just from her tone that she’s suddenly sixteen and he has to stare at her just to make sure she’s still nine.
“I was just gonna say you must really like him to be doing all this,” he pauses, searching for the right word, “research.”
“I don’t just like him daddy. I love him.”
Danny’s heart actually stops. He can feel it. And she is never allowed to watch The Little Mermaid again.
“You’re nine.”
“There’s no age limit on love, dad.”
“Who have you been talking to? No. Seriously. I want to know. I need names and numbers and addresses. Preferably a list of worst fears to go along with that. Love? What? Are you? Honey, I love you and Steve loves you and Kono and Chin and your mom. But this boy. This is. You’re nine. Okay. You’re nine.”
Grace just sighs because this is her dad and obviously he just doesn’t understand the magnitude of her love.
“I drew hearts around his name in my notebook. Kiloni says that means its love. And Kiloni is never wrong.”
“Right. Of course.” Danny says. He throws his hands up in the air because how do you argue with a daughter that apparently has a nine year old love guru for a best friend. “I apologize. Kiloni is right. Hearts definitely equal love.” Kono is shaking with silent laughter. There’s a chance her kidneys will explode from all the pressure. The doorbell rings. Thank god.
Chin gets Grace settled into the car just the same way Steve did and Grace tells him so.
“Of course, mea Aloha. A man always opens the door for a lady.”
“And I’m a lady?”
“Always.” Grace smiles and settles back for the long drive to Nanakuli Beach. Chin is going to teach her how to fish. And she’s super excited because it’s a day at the beach and she knows shaved ice will be involved and Uncle Chin is just so cool, so fishing has got to be the same. She wonders if he’ll let her touch the fish. Maybe he can even teach her how to cook it.
Chin carries all of their supplies to the beach, but Grace gets to carry her own fishing pole because she wanted to. He sets down the small cooler filled with water and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lays down the beach towel.
“You wanna fish now or wait until later?” he asks.
“Now!” and she’s just about jumping from the sheer excitement of it. Chin smiles and sets to work opening the tackle box and getting the hooks on the line. He pulls out a plastic container full of bait and ushers for Grace to follow him closer to the shoreline.
“Let’s see if we can’t catch some Ta'ape today.” Chin shows her how to carefully put the squid on the hook and make sure it’s secure so it doesn’t fall off when casting the line. He goes through all the safety precautions to remember when casting because hooks and skin are not the best combination. Grace doesn’t mind when Chin stands behind her to help her cast because she’s just so excited that she got it out into the water.
“What now?” she asks.
“We wait.” He takes a seat on the sand close enough to the water’s edge that when the waves roll in the water just barely touches his toes. Grace follows suit, sitting just as quietly as her Uncle Chin. “Fishing is more about the time spent with someone than the actual fishing. It takes great patience to actually catch a fish.”
No sooner are the words out of his mouth than the line on Grace’s pole is tugging furiously. She shrieks in delight. Both laughing, Chin helps her reel in the first fish she’s ever caught in her life. It’s the biggest fish she’s ever seen and Chin says it’s a keeper. While he’s busy getting the hook out he has her fill the bucket they brought with water.
“Good job, mea Aloha. Not even your Step-Steve caught a fish that fast his first time out.” Grace beams.
By the end of the day they’ve caught a total of five fish, Grace has been in the water at least twice that amount, and they’ve downed both of the sandwiches and two shaved ices each. Chin even let her get the piña colada flavor her dad never lets her choose. There’s a gift shop near the shaved ice stand and Chin buys her a snow globe of Nanakuli Beach.
When Chin takes her back home he walks her to the door. At the door step he kneels down in front of her.
“This is important, mea Aloha.” He tells her. “A gentleman always picks you up at the door and walks you home to the door.” Grace nods because this is all very serious information. “If he honks his horn for you don’t go out. Not even if he eventually comes up to the door.” She nods again. There’re a whole lot of rules to this dating thing. She hopes she can remember them all. Grace gives him a big hug and thanks him.
“I had so much fun Uncle Chin. This date might’ve been better than the Dole Plantation.” Chin smiles that slow, easy smile.
“I’m glad. I’ll see you later.” It’s almost a question, but not, in the way that Chin knows he’ll see her a few weekends from now.
“Of course.” Grace leans over and gives him a kiss on the cheek before he stands up. She thinks her dad and Step-Steve won’t count that as a kiss on the first date.
About two weeks later it’s finally Danny’s weekend again. Friday night they cookout on the grill the rest of the fish Grace and Chin had caught on their date. When Grace and Kono are setting the picnic table Kono decides now is a good time to find out how things are going with Tommy. The men try to listen in without being too obvious. They mostly fail.
“So when are you and Tommy going to go out on a date?” Kono asks.
“Oh, we’re not.” She says it so matter-of-fact that Kono knows she’s not hurt by the idea. Even though only a few weeks ago she was declaring her love for him.
“What happened?”
“Well, he asked me and I was going to say yes, but then Kiloni heard that Tommy’s mom had to pay for the date to the movies. So I said no because Step-Steve said the guy always pays.”
Kono lets a smile slip out, but doesn’t say anything, just keeps on setting the table.
Over by the grill Danny’s eyes are so full of hearts and love and just so much emotion that Steve cannot help the ridiculous smile that spreads across his face.
“I love you,” Danny says. “I love you so much right now. And I am going to do such filthy, filthy things to you tonight to prove it.”