I'm Not Taking off The Tie

      It.. 

          It’ll do..? 

                  Oh

Maybe Steve could have added more spice? Maybe he could have put more effort into the dinner. Hamburgers? What was he thinking? Steve could have done something more elaborate. Maybe Danny got sick of his ridiculously American dinners all the time. Did he make hamburgers last week? Maybe he should have done spaghetti.. some kind of pasta? He should have done better.. 

"Steve," he says, voice quiet. He puts his birger down and pushes the plat away from him, hating himself for making Steve's voice tremble like that. He can't even look at his hero's face because he knows there's probably tears in Steve's eyes and he can't handle it, he will punch the fucking table in half because Steve is the last person in the entire goddamn world Danny wants to hurt.

"Babe, I didn't mean- this burgers are great, okay, i was yanking your chain." he knows that Steve doesn't always get his sarcastic deprecation; he does try to be more straight forward, but it's hard to lay it in the line like Steve does. It's easier, safer, to pretend things don't matter as much to him as they actually do.

Except when Steve Goddamn Rogers, living legend and all-around hero, has tears in his eyes because Danny can't fucking say a simple thank you like a normal, emotionally unstunted human being.

[ She only knocks on the door of his office once before she barges in, because the real heathen in 5-0 is not Steve McGarrett. It is Kono Kalakaua, and she is holding a box of coco puffs, fresh from the bakery, that she drops on his desk.

She nearly turns heel and walks out the door, but … changes her mind, instead, throwing an arm over his shoulder.  ]

What, what're you doin, huh?

[He's got a goofy smile on his face because Kono being Kono is the cutest thing in the entire world.

Of course she barges in. Of course she drops a box of baked goods- thankfully not her own handiwork- on his desk. And then thanks him, as if he is solely responsible for saving lives; as though she is not there when he glances back, like he doesn't go into situations knowing Kono is backing him up.]

Make a guy feel bashful, why don't you.

[He opens the top right drawer of his desk and takes out a teddy bear. it's holding a satiny heart and hasa giant red bow around it's neck. Grace picked it out; she said girls like stuffed animals and that Kono would particularly like this. He holds it up so it's hiding his face.]

But Steve flinches, shivers away from Danny's touch, and red rage rises in him. Wo Fat did this; Wo Fat took this form of communication from them by hurting Steve. Danny's helpless to say anything more than "come on Steven, it's just me" and his voice is fissured, cracked because Steve can't bear to be touched. He steps away from Danny, and that fucknig hurts; Danny has always been tacitly allowed to invade Steve's space- at first to try to get Steve's goat, to rattle him, but now it's because Steve is so much a part of his life now he can't not be in Steve's space.

He raises both hands, a gesture of peace and surrender, and carefully follows Steve with one step. He uses his low, soothing, Gravcie having nightmares voice.

"Okay, babe? look at me. See, we're in Hawaii, you're in the house you grew up in. This is me, Danny, your partner who you drive up the fucking wall, okay, you make me crazy, but that's neither here nor there." He presses his lips together, takes a breath. he tries not to reach for Steve again, but his goofy goddamn hands don't realize they're not supposed to. He forces them to stay open, palms facing Steve. Steve crying; Steve's voice is broken and danny can't fucking handle it, he can't take it. "I'm not going to hurt you, i'm never gonna even slap your wrist, okay Steven, I won't, I promise, you're not gonna be hurt anymore-" 

and he can't help himself; he's in Steve's space, pulling all 6'1" of the other close to him, wishing he was taller so he couldget more of Steve close to him, where it is safe.

As excited as one might be to return to their own bed after washing the blood off in your own shower, Steve’s not. Steve’s not because after the day- or night.. he’s had.. he’d lost track of time, one usually does that locked away from the light of day; he didn’t want to be alone. So he wanders into the living room where he hoped his partner hadn’t left. 

and then Steve comes out, and the look on his face is something Danny never wants to see again. Steve is broken; Steve McGarrett, SuperSEAL extrordinaire and all around badass, whispers at him. Steve says please and Danny wants to destroy whatever, whomever, hurt his partner. not just hurt someone, but actually fucking end them, obliterate them, so that Steven knows they can never come after him and he's safe.