Oh my god, how happy does this post make me?? ♥ My poison of choice is... enforced bed sharing! After a fashion... XD
And it had started so well, Danny thinks darkly as he's driving the last of the pegs into the soft soil. A weekend with Gracie that fell on the day after her birthday -- what a fortuitous set of circumstances. Naturally, he would do anything she asked of him -- and she knew it, too, the devious little monkey. She's a Williams through and through, Danny had thought with a surge of pride warring with the mounting irritation and apprehension that her simple "I want to go camping, Daddy!" had brought forth.
Because how do you refuse the light of your life when she says she wants the whole Five-0 team to go camping together? Danny would rather chew off his own arm than suggest that his co-workers might have something better to do than go camping with his eight-year-old daughter -- one, because to Danny such a thought is insurmountable; and two, because Grace is at an age where any implied rejection could have lasting consequences, and Danny would hog-tie the lot of them together and kidnap them in his Camaro before he'd let her think like that.
He shouldn't have worried; the delighted twinkle in Kono's eyes when he'd brought it up should have raised a few flags, though. Sneaking up on Danny's blind spot where it came to Gracie, shame on her!
Kono smiles sunnily at him from where she and Chin are finishing putting up hers and Grace's tent. She's finding the whole thing hilarious.
"You done yet, Danno? Need any help?" says the bane of his existence, hauling in their sleeping bags and overnight duffels from the car. Danny can hear the grin in his voice without turning to look.
"No, I do not need any help, Steven, thank you for asking," Danny snaps, straightening up at last and turning around, rubbing at the tightness in his back from the long drive down a number of dirt tracks.
Steve's grin fades around the edges. Danny feels like a prick. "You okay, Danny? Is your back bothering you?"
"Oh, the back you made me pull when you blew up that warehouse on Tuesday, that back? Yeah, it's bothering me a bit. Don't even think about it!" he goes on, as Steve takes a couple of quick steps towards him. "I don't want Grace to know," he finishes quietly.
Steve's brow furrows into his Aneurysm face, and Danny would feel proud to have prodded it into existence if it wasn't for the fact that he had to share the tent with the hulking giant. He bets that was Kono's plan all along, confirmed as soon as Grace's face lit up at the suggestion that morning when they set off.
Chin likes to sleep under the stars, like the hardcore seasoned camper he is. Danny's surprised that Steve hasn't taken a leaf out of his book; God knows the outdoors freak's enjoying himself a bit too much.
"Daddy, daddy, come look at our tent!" yells Grace, poking a messy-haired head through the flap. Danny doesn't bother fighting the beam that he knows is all over his face as he makes his way to her.
---
Danny hates camping, though he'd never utter a word about it in Grace's hearing. He hates the sound of insects buzzing around the lantern, hates the hard ground he's spread his sleeping bag over, hates the smell of smoke coming from the requisite camp fire, hates the sounds of the jungle at nighttime that wake him up every twenty minutes.
The rest of them, of course, are having the time of their lives. There's marshmallows over the fire, hot chocolate made in a sturdy pot, hot dogs for all, and the surprise of Chin's guitar brought out from the jeep's back seat. Grace's sweet voice carries through the air, joined by Kono's light soprano and Chin's shockingly deep baritone. Danny watches them, heart full to bursting.
He doesn't join in, because he doesn't want to scare off every animal or bird in the vicinity and cause a stampede -- but Steve does, eventually, with a little glance at Danny that Danny wonders how Steve expects he wouldn't notice. Steve's voice is more husky than resonant, but it's lovely; it makes Danny think of fireplaces and snow and a glass of single-malt Laphroaig shared with his dad. He closes his eyes and basks, just for a moment.
The one where Danny can't sleep without Steve, 1/5
And it had started so well, Danny thinks darkly as he's driving the last of the pegs into the soft soil. A weekend with Gracie that fell on the day after her birthday -- what a fortuitous set of circumstances. Naturally, he would do anything she asked of him -- and she knew it, too, the devious little monkey. She's a Williams through and through, Danny had thought with a surge of pride warring with the mounting irritation and apprehension that her simple "I want to go camping, Daddy!" had brought forth.
Because how do you refuse the light of your life when she says she wants the whole Five-0 team to go camping together? Danny would rather chew off his own arm than suggest that his co-workers might have something better to do than go camping with his eight-year-old daughter -- one, because to Danny such a thought is insurmountable; and two, because Grace is at an age where any implied rejection could have lasting consequences, and Danny would hog-tie the lot of them together and kidnap them in his Camaro before he'd let her think like that.
He shouldn't have worried; the delighted twinkle in Kono's eyes when he'd brought it up should have raised a few flags, though. Sneaking up on Danny's blind spot where it came to Gracie, shame on her!
Kono smiles sunnily at him from where she and Chin are finishing putting up hers and Grace's tent. She's finding the whole thing hilarious.
"You done yet, Danno? Need any help?" says the bane of his existence, hauling in their sleeping bags and overnight duffels from the car. Danny can hear the grin in his voice without turning to look.
"No, I do not need any help, Steven, thank you for asking," Danny snaps, straightening up at last and turning around, rubbing at the tightness in his back from the long drive down a number of dirt tracks.
Steve's grin fades around the edges. Danny feels like a prick. "You okay, Danny? Is your back bothering you?"
"Oh, the back you made me pull when you blew up that warehouse on Tuesday, that back? Yeah, it's bothering me a bit. Don't even think about it!" he goes on, as Steve takes a couple of quick steps towards him. "I don't want Grace to know," he finishes quietly.
Steve's brow furrows into his Aneurysm face, and Danny would feel proud to have prodded it into existence if it wasn't for the fact that he had to share the tent with the hulking giant. He bets that was Kono's plan all along, confirmed as soon as Grace's face lit up at the suggestion that morning when they set off.
Chin likes to sleep under the stars, like the hardcore seasoned camper he is. Danny's surprised that Steve hasn't taken a leaf out of his book; God knows the outdoors freak's enjoying himself a bit too much.
"Daddy, daddy, come look at our tent!" yells Grace, poking a messy-haired head through the flap. Danny doesn't bother fighting the beam that he knows is all over his face as he makes his way to her.
---
Danny hates camping, though he'd never utter a word about it in Grace's hearing. He hates the sound of insects buzzing around the lantern, hates the hard ground he's spread his sleeping bag over, hates the smell of smoke coming from the requisite camp fire, hates the sounds of the jungle at nighttime that wake him up every twenty minutes.
The rest of them, of course, are having the time of their lives. There's marshmallows over the fire, hot chocolate made in a sturdy pot, hot dogs for all, and the surprise of Chin's guitar brought out from the jeep's back seat. Grace's sweet voice carries through the air, joined by Kono's light soprano and Chin's shockingly deep baritone. Danny watches them, heart full to bursting.
He doesn't join in, because he doesn't want to scare off every animal or bird in the vicinity and cause a stampede -- but Steve does, eventually, with a little glance at Danny that Danny wonders how Steve expects he wouldn't notice. Steve's voice is more husky than resonant, but it's lovely; it makes Danny think of fireplaces and snow and a glass of single-malt Laphroaig shared with his dad. He closes his eyes and basks, just for a moment.
---