H50 Fic - A sign of Service (Deaf!Grace 'Verse)
Title: A Sign of Service (part of my Deaf!Grace 'Verse)
Characters: Steve/Danno, Grace
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Summary: Its the call that fractures the team.
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Word Count: ~3,700
Warnings: None that I can think of?
Beta: None! I just wanted to get this posted quickly!
Disclaimer: In my dreams maybe, but I don't own them!
Written for: It started off just for me, but then simplyn2deep asked for this "since Steve is in the Reserves, there's a possibility of him being reactivated and have to explain to Grace what's going on" which fit into what I was already writing! :D
A/N: I am sooooo sorry this has taken me so long to update! Is anyone still interested in this verse?! (I know goldenthroat is! Thank you so much for the little nudge!) I have plenty of excuses as to why this has taken so long, but I won't bore you with them! Just know I have a few other fics that will get posted soon (not part of this verse) and I will try to get more of this verse written too! :D LOVE YOU ALL! :D
A sign of: Trust - Love - Family - Strength - Recovery - Pride - Change - Control - Christmas
Steve stared down dejectedly at his phone that was still resting innocently in his hands after having provided news he was forever worried about receiving. He had been watching his team from afar, Chin, Kono and Danny all in the bullpen discussing their latest case when the call had come in, drawing Steve away from his teammates. He knew, logically, that there was always a chance he would get called back into active duty, he just never imagined the day coming so soon, especially when things were going so well between him and Danny.
The two partners had been slowly starting to make plans regarding their trip to New Jersey and the wedding, now though, that all seemed so pointless. The travel and wedding dates would all have to be rescheduled, Steve not knowing when (or if) he would come back from this one. Steve tossed his phone back onto his desk and moved so that his elbows rested against the polished wood, head buried into his hands and he thought over how to tell everyone the news.
“Steve? Babe?” Danny asked hesitantly, having seen Steve through the glass and slowly entering the room, wanting to know what had gotten into his partner.
“Danny,” Steve sighed, accepting the fierce embrace from Danny before pushing the other man away and steeling himself for the news he had to deliver to his team. “I have something I have to tell everyone… But I think you need to hear this first,” Steve hesitated.
“What? What is it Steve?” Danny asked, suddenly feeling very nervous and scared.
“I just received a call… the call,” Steve answered, not meeting Danny’s eyes.
“The call? You… You mean from the Navy?”
“I’m being reactivated for a mission, a mission that needs a SEAL with my ‘specialised skill set’ they said,” Steve nodded, finally meeting Danny’s eyes, the beautiful blue eyes marred by the slight watering.
“Do you know when you’ll be leaving? How long you will be gone for? Where you’re actually going?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know much, they want me down at the base tomorrow morning to get briefed, I assume I will be gone by the end of the week,” Steve sighed, finally standing and pulling Danny in close, holding onto the shorter man as he silently cried. Steve felt the tears against his shoulder but didn’t comment on them. “I don’t know as of yet how long I will be gone for, or any other details…” he added, mumbling into the blonde hair, eyes flickering up and seeing Kono and Chin looking on with worried expressions.
“I guess you want to tell the others? Shit, what about Grace? How are we going to tell her?” Danny asked, eyes widening as he jumped out of Steve’s arms, knowing just how badly his daughter was going to take the news.
“We will tell her together, I will have to explain just what’s going on, as best as I can, and hopefully she will understand…” Steve sighed.
“How can she understand that her other father is being taken away from her for God knows how long?”
“I know, it sucks, but there’s nothing I can do, when you get ‘asked’ to join a mission, there really is no saying ‘no’,” Steve sighed, knowing just how futile it was to reject the mission. “Do you want to stay here while I talk to the others?” Steve asked, hands over Danny’s shoulders, thumbs slowly caressing the shirt material in an attempt to comfort the other man.
“Yeah, I should be here… Call them in?” Danny reasoned, straightening his shoulders and brushing away the stray tears from his cheeks.
“Kono, Chin, you can come in now,” Steve called, poking his head out of his door while Danny moved to sit in one of the seats opposite Steve’s.
The two cousins quickly entered Steve’s office and took the remaining two seats while Steve remained standing, his back to his team members as he tried to work up the courage to speak.
“What’s up Boss?” Kono asked after a few moments of silence.
Danny cut the rookie a quick look, silencing the girl, allowing Steve more time to gather his words.
“I just received a phone call,” Steve started, turning around to face his teammates, “it was from Admiral Collins, asking me to go back into active duty for a mission…” Steve finally said, watching as the cousin’s faces pales at the news.
“But?” “Oh no,” Kono gasped as Chin sighed.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting any of this, and it’s not exactly what I had wanted, especially not at this point in my life, but I can’t refuse. Tomorrow I’ll go to base and be told more information about when I’m being shipped out, but for now we operate as if nothing has changed, we have work to do and we have to do it,” Steve sighed, hating having to pretend as if nothing was changing even though everything was.
Kono and Chin nodded hesitantly, slowly getting up and leaving the office with a gentle pat to Steve’s back, Danny simply remained seated. Steve didn’t know what to do, there was nothing that he could do until he had more information and he hated that.
“Danny?”
“Don’t. Just… don’t,” Danny snapped, shaking his head and silencing Steve. “I just can’t, I can’t pretend everything is the same, not right now… not when I know you’re being sent off to god-knows-where any day now!” Danny all but barked out.
Steve sighed, knowing just what Danny was feeling, it was the not knowing that was the problem. “Babe, you have to listen to me, okay?” Steve started, drawing Danny’s eyes to his, “I know this isn’t ideal, but we will get through this, we just have to believe that. We’ll know more tomorrow and make all the right plans, but you have to believe that nothing is going to happen, at least for my sake,” Steve near begged.
Danny nodded, understanding what his partner was asking of him but not sure if he could give it to the other man. “I guess I should get back to work now…”
“No, stay here,” Steve said, his voice pleading.
The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, tracking leads and chasing suspects down. The team was still working as it should, but they were now a fractured unit, waiting for their team to break. Returning home that night, Steve immediately strode out to his beach, quickly discarding his shirt and cargo pants and entering the ocean. He used his smooth and strong strokes to slice through the water, allowing the ocean to calm his mind and organise his thoughts.
Danny on the other hand went straight to Steve’s gym and started hitting into the heavy bag, allowing his anger to escape and turning his emotional pain into a physical one. Danny stayed in the room, alone, working out until all his energy was spent. It wasn’t until he finally moved away from the punching bag that he realised he wasn’t actually alone, Steve had been standing there silently watching him workout, allowing his partner time to process what was happening.
“Come on Danny, let’s shower and then get something to eat,” Steve suggested, gently leading Danny out of the room and up the stairs to their bathroom.
Both men quickly stripped down, discarding their clothes on the floor, before entering the shower together. Steve wasted no time, washing the two off them while paying special attention to Danny’s body. He massaged away the stress and tension before rinsing them both off and closing the water. Very little was said during this time, Danny only able to think about the fact that Steve was going back to base tomorrow and then leaving them soon after for god knows how long.
They ate in silence, something unusual for the pair, out on the lanai, watching as the sun set. Both men knew they would have to talk about it, but neither wanted to or knew where to start. “Danny?” Steve attempted, “Danny, babe, we need to talk,” he sighed.
“I know… I just… it will make it all too real,” Danny nodded, refusing to look at his partner.
Steve grabbed for Danny’s hand, pressing it to his lips for a moment before speaking against the roughened skin. “I know babe, I know. The thing is, it is real, and we have to accept that, but I want you to know, that if anything happens to me, you and Grace will be looked after…” Steve said, hating having to.
Danny’s head snapped up at the admission, “Steve?”
“I spoke to Mary about it, if something happens to me, this house is yours, for you and Grace…” Steve explained.
“But...?”
“No, there is no arguing this, it’s been done, and it’s final, now… how about we go upstairs to bed?”
“’m not tired…” Danny mumbled.
“I never said anything about sleeping,” Steve smirked, leading Danny upstairs once more, the taller man taking his partner’s mind off this imminent deployment for a while.
Danny had called Rachel early the next morning, once Steve had left in his navy fatigues, asking if they could have Grace for the night. He hesitantly explained the situation to his ex-wife, hating each word as he spoke them. Rachel agreed with little argument, not wanting to give up her time with her daughter but understanding Danny’s need to have her this time.
“Thank you Rach, I owe you one.”
“Not this time, don’t worry about it,” Rachel denied before hanging up.
Steve returned from base late that night to a house full of wonderful aromas. He was completely mentally and emotionally exhausted, wanting nothing more than to curl up with Danny and forget about the rest of the world. He dumped his duffle bag beside the door, rubbing his hand over his face in an attempt to wipe away the weariness he was sure had set in his features. The SEAL soon realised that he was no longer alone in the room, sensing his partner but surprised by the slight tug on his pants. He opened his eyes and looked down, a smile forming at the sight of the little girl looking back up at him innocently.
‘Hug?’ Grace asked and offered at the same time, knowing just what her adopted father required.
Steve gracefully fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around Grace’s waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. Danny watched from his spot as his partner buried his face into Grace’s hair, sighing as the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders.
‘How are you Baby?’ Steve asked when they finally broke apart.
‘Good! Danno picked me up from school today, said I get to have dinner with you tonight!’ She said excitedly.
Steve shot Danny a quick look, the other man only nodding, indicating that they were going to talk to Grace tonight about what was going on, but for now, it was about relaxing together as a family.
‘Awesome! What’s cooking? Smells good!’ Steve smiled, hoisting Grace up and carrying her into the kitchen, Danny following closely.
They ate a simple meal, Danny having cooked pasta with Bolognese sauce with Grace’s help. The little girl entertained the two men with stories from school and about her friends, temporarily keeping their minds off the impending conversation that was likely to ruin the good mood of the evening. After dinner was finished and the dishes loaded into the machine, Danny and Steve lead Grace out onto the lanai, the little girl sensing something serious was going on. Danny and Steve flanked the small child, sitting her down in the middle of them before they started what felt like the most difficult conversation ever.
‘Monkey, do you remember what Seal does for work? Outside of working with me?’ Danny started.
‘Yeah? He works for the Navy, as a SEAL on a ship, right?’ She quickly answered.
‘Exactly,’ Danny smiled, stroking Grace’s hair back, hesitating slightly.
‘Monkey, I’ve been asked to go back to work on one of those big ships for a while…’ Steve spoke up.
‘But you can’t go! You can’t leave us!’ she pouted.
‘I don’t want to, but I have to go do some very special work, and I don’t know how long I will be away for…’ Steve sighed, hating having cause the hurt expression on Grace’s face.
‘No! But why?’ Grace sobbed.
‘It’s his duty baby,’ Danny consoled, ‘He has to go…’
‘But it’s dangerous! Isn’t it? My friend said that people in the army get sent to war and get killed!’ she sobbed.
‘Who told you that?’ Steve sighed, ignoring the part about the army, ‘but yes… it can be dangerous… but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to come home, I have too much at stake here!’ Steve signed with as much conviction as he could muster.
‘I don’t want you to go! If you really loved us you wouldn’t leave!’ Grace cried, breaking free of her fathers’ hold and running back inside.
“Shit, what have I done?” Steve mumbled, hiding his face in his hands.
“She’ll come around, she just doesn’t understand what’s going on, she knows you love us…” Danny tried to reassure, only half believing his own words.
“I love you two so much, I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to… but… the Navy, the SEALs, it’s a big part of me, of who I am, and I just can’t let that go either,” Steve said.
“I know babe, I know, and Grace knows it too. I’ll go talk to her in a bit, but for now tell me what you found out today.”
“I can’t say much, but I ship out in three days… the mission will be for at least a month, if not more…” Steve shrugged, not able to say anything else.
“We’ll be okay, we’ll get through it…” Danny promised.
Steve simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak right now. They stayed outside for several more minutes in complete silence, allowing the sounds of the ocean and the night to fill in the void. By unspoken agreement, both men soon made their way back inside, Danny following after Grace while Steve moved back into the kitchen to try and find something to do. He had lists running through his head of everything he needed to do before he left, including getting Five-0 organised and making sure that Danny and Grace were cared for at home.
Steve was brought out of his thoughts but slender arms wrapping around his legs. He turned around and picked up the small girl, holding her close, taking a moment to memorise everything about her.
‘I’m sorry Monkey,’ Steve said once they broke apart.
‘I know you are Dad, but Danno told me there’s nothing you can do about it, and I think I understand…’ she said, pushing up and kissing Steve on the cheek.
‘I do love you, so much Monkey, never ever question that okay?’ Steve urged.
‘I love you too.’
‘Come on, how about we put a movie on before you have to go home?’ Steve suggested, carrying Grace into the living room.
‘What are you two doing?’ Danny asked, standing in front of them just as Steve and Grace had settled down with a Disney movie on.
‘We’re watching Lilo and Stitch before I have to go back home!’ Grace explained.
‘Well, luckily for you, Mommy was nice enough to let you stay here for the next few days!’ Danny smirked. He had called Rachel after his talk with Grace and explained to his ex that Steve was leaving on Friday. Danny had thought that Rachel would just give him Grace for Friday to say goodbye, but instead she had shocked him by letting her stay for the rest of the week, including the weekend.
Rachel knew that this week was going to be hard on Danny and his little family, but more than that, she knew how bad Grace was going to be reacting to the news. Right now, what was best for her daughter was being with Steve and Danny, and even though she wasn’t extremely happy about it, there was no way she was going to keep her away from them.
‘Really?’ both Steve and Grace asked, hope shining through their eyes.
‘Yupp! So come on! Move over!’ Danny chuckled, taking a seat on the other side of his daughter and wrapping his arm around the backs of Grace and Steve where his fingers automatically buried themselves into Steve’s hair.
They used the movie to distract them for the rest of the night, allowing themselves to mindlessly watch the sweet movie. Once it was over, Danny picked Grace up and headed towards her room.
‘Danno? Can Seal tuck me in tonight?’ Grace asked once she was in her pyjamas.
‘Of course!’ he smiled, dropping her down on her bed so that he could go and get Steve.
Steve had been locking down the house for the night when Danny had approached him. The Navy Seal quickly agreed to tuck Grace in, his mind not pausing on the fact that he was not only trained to kill a person without question, was also trusted enough to look after such a sweet and innocent girl. When Grace had finally fallen asleep, Steve lead Danny back to their bed, gently laying him down before stripping off every piece of clothing. He spent the majority of that night showing Danny just how much he loved him, over and over again.
The rest of the week had continued as if nothing was wrong, the underlying tension within the team obvious, but none of them let it affect their work. Before they knew it, it was the night before Steve's deployment. Chin and Kono had been invited over for a grill out, it was a relaxed evening, no one commenting on Steve’s imminent departure. They joked around and ate too much food, everyone doting on Grace who was clinging furiously to Steve any chance she got.
As the hours dragged on, Grace’s energy started to wane, the little girl finally falling asleep against Steve’s chest once the cousins had left. The two of them quickly said their last goodbyes there, not being able to see him off in the morning. He stood up awkwardly with Grace in his arms, Danny following Steve and locking up.
‘Can I stay with you tonight?’ Grace asked, eyes half open, her hand signs sloppy from being so tired.
Danny glanced at Steve, waiting to see the man’s response. Steve simply nodded, holding Grace closer as he walked up to their bedroom. He placed her down in the middle of the bed, him and Danny stripping down into their boxers and a t-shirt before slipping in either side of her. They wrapped their arms around each other, no one speaking, just holding each other close knowing that this was their last chance to do this for a while.
The three of them awoke early the next morning. Steve going through the motions of getting ready in his navy fatigues while Danny and Grace lay together on the bed, silently watching. With only less than an hour before Steve had to be on base, Danny and Grace finally got out of bed and also got ready, the mood of the entire family sombre.
Grace put on her favourite navy blue NAVY t-shirt, wearing it proudly as she held her fathers’ hands walking towards the large ship together. Steve dropped his duffle bag down on the concrete, bending down on one knee and pulling his daughter in his arms, simply holding her close. He moved her back and held her at arms-length, hands cupping either side of her head, trying to memorise her face.
‘I love you, take care of Danno for me, okay?’ Steve signed, kissing her forehead at her hesitant nod.
Steve stood, staring at Danny for several silent moments, neither man ready to make the first move in saying goodbye. Finally, they both just moved together, falling into each other into a fierce embrace. “I love you, and I promise you, I will do everything I can to return to you and Grace, please, don’t worry about me, I’ll stay safe, I have so much more to come home to,” Steve whispered into Danny’s ear.
“You better,” Danny warned, pressing his lips to Steve’s, holding Steve impossibly close. “I love you,” Danny added, his face only millimetres from Steve’s. “You fight babe, you fight to come back home to us because we need you okay? And please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t do anything stupid, I’m not going to be there to back you up,” he whispered, trying to lighten the mood. “I also need you back so I can marry you, you big goof,” he added, foreheads pressed close together, hand pressed over the tattoo on his chest that Steve had gotten only a few weeks ago.
Steve nodded, eyes bright with unshed tears. This was the first time ever Steve had someone seeing him off, the first time he had someone ready and waiting for him to get back safe. He knew that he would do whatever he could to get back to his ohana in one piece; he just hoped he could pull it off. With a final kiss to Danny’s lips, Steve stood back and picked up his bags, shouldering them and breathing in deep.
“See you around,” Steve said and signed, not saying goodbye but not promising to return.
Danny pulled Grace into his arms, the little girl sobbing freely into his shoulder, the two of them watching as Steve boarded the ship. They stayed that way long after the ship set off, Steve long since leaving their view, silent tears running down both their faces.
‘Come on, let’s go home,’ Danny finally said, carrying Grace back to the car, dreading returning to the now empty home.
-End for now!
Next chapter.
Please remember to prompt me if you got one! And comments are love! They honestly do make me want to write more! :D
Characters: Steve/Danno, Grace
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Summary: Its the call that fractures the team.
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Word Count: ~3,700
Warnings: None that I can think of?
Beta: None! I just wanted to get this posted quickly!
Disclaimer: In my dreams maybe, but I don't own them!
Written for: It started off just for me, but then simplyn2deep asked for this "since Steve is in the Reserves, there's a possibility of him being reactivated and have to explain to Grace what's going on" which fit into what I was already writing! :D
A/N: I am sooooo sorry this has taken me so long to update! Is anyone still interested in this verse?! (I know goldenthroat is! Thank you so much for the little nudge!) I have plenty of excuses as to why this has taken so long, but I won't bore you with them! Just know I have a few other fics that will get posted soon (not part of this verse) and I will try to get more of this verse written too! :D LOVE YOU ALL! :D
A sign of: Trust - Love - Family - Strength - Recovery - Pride - Change - Control - Christmas
Steve stared down dejectedly at his phone that was still resting innocently in his hands after having provided news he was forever worried about receiving. He had been watching his team from afar, Chin, Kono and Danny all in the bullpen discussing their latest case when the call had come in, drawing Steve away from his teammates. He knew, logically, that there was always a chance he would get called back into active duty, he just never imagined the day coming so soon, especially when things were going so well between him and Danny.
The two partners had been slowly starting to make plans regarding their trip to New Jersey and the wedding, now though, that all seemed so pointless. The travel and wedding dates would all have to be rescheduled, Steve not knowing when (or if) he would come back from this one. Steve tossed his phone back onto his desk and moved so that his elbows rested against the polished wood, head buried into his hands and he thought over how to tell everyone the news.
“Steve? Babe?” Danny asked hesitantly, having seen Steve through the glass and slowly entering the room, wanting to know what had gotten into his partner.
“Danny,” Steve sighed, accepting the fierce embrace from Danny before pushing the other man away and steeling himself for the news he had to deliver to his team. “I have something I have to tell everyone… But I think you need to hear this first,” Steve hesitated.
“What? What is it Steve?” Danny asked, suddenly feeling very nervous and scared.
“I just received a call… the call,” Steve answered, not meeting Danny’s eyes.
“The call? You… You mean from the Navy?”
“I’m being reactivated for a mission, a mission that needs a SEAL with my ‘specialised skill set’ they said,” Steve nodded, finally meeting Danny’s eyes, the beautiful blue eyes marred by the slight watering.
“Do you know when you’ll be leaving? How long you will be gone for? Where you’re actually going?” Danny asked.
“I don’t know much, they want me down at the base tomorrow morning to get briefed, I assume I will be gone by the end of the week,” Steve sighed, finally standing and pulling Danny in close, holding onto the shorter man as he silently cried. Steve felt the tears against his shoulder but didn’t comment on them. “I don’t know as of yet how long I will be gone for, or any other details…” he added, mumbling into the blonde hair, eyes flickering up and seeing Kono and Chin looking on with worried expressions.
“I guess you want to tell the others? Shit, what about Grace? How are we going to tell her?” Danny asked, eyes widening as he jumped out of Steve’s arms, knowing just how badly his daughter was going to take the news.
“We will tell her together, I will have to explain just what’s going on, as best as I can, and hopefully she will understand…” Steve sighed.
“How can she understand that her other father is being taken away from her for God knows how long?”
“I know, it sucks, but there’s nothing I can do, when you get ‘asked’ to join a mission, there really is no saying ‘no’,” Steve sighed, knowing just how futile it was to reject the mission. “Do you want to stay here while I talk to the others?” Steve asked, hands over Danny’s shoulders, thumbs slowly caressing the shirt material in an attempt to comfort the other man.
“Yeah, I should be here… Call them in?” Danny reasoned, straightening his shoulders and brushing away the stray tears from his cheeks.
“Kono, Chin, you can come in now,” Steve called, poking his head out of his door while Danny moved to sit in one of the seats opposite Steve’s.
The two cousins quickly entered Steve’s office and took the remaining two seats while Steve remained standing, his back to his team members as he tried to work up the courage to speak.
“What’s up Boss?” Kono asked after a few moments of silence.
Danny cut the rookie a quick look, silencing the girl, allowing Steve more time to gather his words.
“I just received a phone call,” Steve started, turning around to face his teammates, “it was from Admiral Collins, asking me to go back into active duty for a mission…” Steve finally said, watching as the cousin’s faces pales at the news.
“But?” “Oh no,” Kono gasped as Chin sighed.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting any of this, and it’s not exactly what I had wanted, especially not at this point in my life, but I can’t refuse. Tomorrow I’ll go to base and be told more information about when I’m being shipped out, but for now we operate as if nothing has changed, we have work to do and we have to do it,” Steve sighed, hating having to pretend as if nothing was changing even though everything was.
Kono and Chin nodded hesitantly, slowly getting up and leaving the office with a gentle pat to Steve’s back, Danny simply remained seated. Steve didn’t know what to do, there was nothing that he could do until he had more information and he hated that.
“Danny?”
“Don’t. Just… don’t,” Danny snapped, shaking his head and silencing Steve. “I just can’t, I can’t pretend everything is the same, not right now… not when I know you’re being sent off to god-knows-where any day now!” Danny all but barked out.
Steve sighed, knowing just what Danny was feeling, it was the not knowing that was the problem. “Babe, you have to listen to me, okay?” Steve started, drawing Danny’s eyes to his, “I know this isn’t ideal, but we will get through this, we just have to believe that. We’ll know more tomorrow and make all the right plans, but you have to believe that nothing is going to happen, at least for my sake,” Steve near begged.
Danny nodded, understanding what his partner was asking of him but not sure if he could give it to the other man. “I guess I should get back to work now…”
“No, stay here,” Steve said, his voice pleading.
The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, tracking leads and chasing suspects down. The team was still working as it should, but they were now a fractured unit, waiting for their team to break. Returning home that night, Steve immediately strode out to his beach, quickly discarding his shirt and cargo pants and entering the ocean. He used his smooth and strong strokes to slice through the water, allowing the ocean to calm his mind and organise his thoughts.
Danny on the other hand went straight to Steve’s gym and started hitting into the heavy bag, allowing his anger to escape and turning his emotional pain into a physical one. Danny stayed in the room, alone, working out until all his energy was spent. It wasn’t until he finally moved away from the punching bag that he realised he wasn’t actually alone, Steve had been standing there silently watching him workout, allowing his partner time to process what was happening.
“Come on Danny, let’s shower and then get something to eat,” Steve suggested, gently leading Danny out of the room and up the stairs to their bathroom.
Both men quickly stripped down, discarding their clothes on the floor, before entering the shower together. Steve wasted no time, washing the two off them while paying special attention to Danny’s body. He massaged away the stress and tension before rinsing them both off and closing the water. Very little was said during this time, Danny only able to think about the fact that Steve was going back to base tomorrow and then leaving them soon after for god knows how long.
They ate in silence, something unusual for the pair, out on the lanai, watching as the sun set. Both men knew they would have to talk about it, but neither wanted to or knew where to start. “Danny?” Steve attempted, “Danny, babe, we need to talk,” he sighed.
“I know… I just… it will make it all too real,” Danny nodded, refusing to look at his partner.
Steve grabbed for Danny’s hand, pressing it to his lips for a moment before speaking against the roughened skin. “I know babe, I know. The thing is, it is real, and we have to accept that, but I want you to know, that if anything happens to me, you and Grace will be looked after…” Steve said, hating having to.
Danny’s head snapped up at the admission, “Steve?”
“I spoke to Mary about it, if something happens to me, this house is yours, for you and Grace…” Steve explained.
“But...?”
“No, there is no arguing this, it’s been done, and it’s final, now… how about we go upstairs to bed?”
“’m not tired…” Danny mumbled.
“I never said anything about sleeping,” Steve smirked, leading Danny upstairs once more, the taller man taking his partner’s mind off this imminent deployment for a while.
Danny had called Rachel early the next morning, once Steve had left in his navy fatigues, asking if they could have Grace for the night. He hesitantly explained the situation to his ex-wife, hating each word as he spoke them. Rachel agreed with little argument, not wanting to give up her time with her daughter but understanding Danny’s need to have her this time.
“Thank you Rach, I owe you one.”
“Not this time, don’t worry about it,” Rachel denied before hanging up.
Steve returned from base late that night to a house full of wonderful aromas. He was completely mentally and emotionally exhausted, wanting nothing more than to curl up with Danny and forget about the rest of the world. He dumped his duffle bag beside the door, rubbing his hand over his face in an attempt to wipe away the weariness he was sure had set in his features. The SEAL soon realised that he was no longer alone in the room, sensing his partner but surprised by the slight tug on his pants. He opened his eyes and looked down, a smile forming at the sight of the little girl looking back up at him innocently.
‘Hug?’ Grace asked and offered at the same time, knowing just what her adopted father required.
Steve gracefully fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around Grace’s waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. Danny watched from his spot as his partner buried his face into Grace’s hair, sighing as the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders.
‘How are you Baby?’ Steve asked when they finally broke apart.
‘Good! Danno picked me up from school today, said I get to have dinner with you tonight!’ She said excitedly.
Steve shot Danny a quick look, the other man only nodding, indicating that they were going to talk to Grace tonight about what was going on, but for now, it was about relaxing together as a family.
‘Awesome! What’s cooking? Smells good!’ Steve smiled, hoisting Grace up and carrying her into the kitchen, Danny following closely.
They ate a simple meal, Danny having cooked pasta with Bolognese sauce with Grace’s help. The little girl entertained the two men with stories from school and about her friends, temporarily keeping their minds off the impending conversation that was likely to ruin the good mood of the evening. After dinner was finished and the dishes loaded into the machine, Danny and Steve lead Grace out onto the lanai, the little girl sensing something serious was going on. Danny and Steve flanked the small child, sitting her down in the middle of them before they started what felt like the most difficult conversation ever.
‘Monkey, do you remember what Seal does for work? Outside of working with me?’ Danny started.
‘Yeah? He works for the Navy, as a SEAL on a ship, right?’ She quickly answered.
‘Exactly,’ Danny smiled, stroking Grace’s hair back, hesitating slightly.
‘Monkey, I’ve been asked to go back to work on one of those big ships for a while…’ Steve spoke up.
‘But you can’t go! You can’t leave us!’ she pouted.
‘I don’t want to, but I have to go do some very special work, and I don’t know how long I will be away for…’ Steve sighed, hating having cause the hurt expression on Grace’s face.
‘No! But why?’ Grace sobbed.
‘It’s his duty baby,’ Danny consoled, ‘He has to go…’
‘But it’s dangerous! Isn’t it? My friend said that people in the army get sent to war and get killed!’ she sobbed.
‘Who told you that?’ Steve sighed, ignoring the part about the army, ‘but yes… it can be dangerous… but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to come home, I have too much at stake here!’ Steve signed with as much conviction as he could muster.
‘I don’t want you to go! If you really loved us you wouldn’t leave!’ Grace cried, breaking free of her fathers’ hold and running back inside.
“Shit, what have I done?” Steve mumbled, hiding his face in his hands.
“She’ll come around, she just doesn’t understand what’s going on, she knows you love us…” Danny tried to reassure, only half believing his own words.
“I love you two so much, I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to… but… the Navy, the SEALs, it’s a big part of me, of who I am, and I just can’t let that go either,” Steve said.
“I know babe, I know, and Grace knows it too. I’ll go talk to her in a bit, but for now tell me what you found out today.”
“I can’t say much, but I ship out in three days… the mission will be for at least a month, if not more…” Steve shrugged, not able to say anything else.
“We’ll be okay, we’ll get through it…” Danny promised.
Steve simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak right now. They stayed outside for several more minutes in complete silence, allowing the sounds of the ocean and the night to fill in the void. By unspoken agreement, both men soon made their way back inside, Danny following after Grace while Steve moved back into the kitchen to try and find something to do. He had lists running through his head of everything he needed to do before he left, including getting Five-0 organised and making sure that Danny and Grace were cared for at home.
Steve was brought out of his thoughts but slender arms wrapping around his legs. He turned around and picked up the small girl, holding her close, taking a moment to memorise everything about her.
‘I’m sorry Monkey,’ Steve said once they broke apart.
‘I know you are Dad, but Danno told me there’s nothing you can do about it, and I think I understand…’ she said, pushing up and kissing Steve on the cheek.
‘I do love you, so much Monkey, never ever question that okay?’ Steve urged.
‘I love you too.’
‘Come on, how about we put a movie on before you have to go home?’ Steve suggested, carrying Grace into the living room.
‘What are you two doing?’ Danny asked, standing in front of them just as Steve and Grace had settled down with a Disney movie on.
‘We’re watching Lilo and Stitch before I have to go back home!’ Grace explained.
‘Well, luckily for you, Mommy was nice enough to let you stay here for the next few days!’ Danny smirked. He had called Rachel after his talk with Grace and explained to his ex that Steve was leaving on Friday. Danny had thought that Rachel would just give him Grace for Friday to say goodbye, but instead she had shocked him by letting her stay for the rest of the week, including the weekend.
Rachel knew that this week was going to be hard on Danny and his little family, but more than that, she knew how bad Grace was going to be reacting to the news. Right now, what was best for her daughter was being with Steve and Danny, and even though she wasn’t extremely happy about it, there was no way she was going to keep her away from them.
‘Really?’ both Steve and Grace asked, hope shining through their eyes.
‘Yupp! So come on! Move over!’ Danny chuckled, taking a seat on the other side of his daughter and wrapping his arm around the backs of Grace and Steve where his fingers automatically buried themselves into Steve’s hair.
They used the movie to distract them for the rest of the night, allowing themselves to mindlessly watch the sweet movie. Once it was over, Danny picked Grace up and headed towards her room.
‘Danno? Can Seal tuck me in tonight?’ Grace asked once she was in her pyjamas.
‘Of course!’ he smiled, dropping her down on her bed so that he could go and get Steve.
Steve had been locking down the house for the night when Danny had approached him. The Navy Seal quickly agreed to tuck Grace in, his mind not pausing on the fact that he was not only trained to kill a person without question, was also trusted enough to look after such a sweet and innocent girl. When Grace had finally fallen asleep, Steve lead Danny back to their bed, gently laying him down before stripping off every piece of clothing. He spent the majority of that night showing Danny just how much he loved him, over and over again.
The rest of the week had continued as if nothing was wrong, the underlying tension within the team obvious, but none of them let it affect their work. Before they knew it, it was the night before Steve's deployment. Chin and Kono had been invited over for a grill out, it was a relaxed evening, no one commenting on Steve’s imminent departure. They joked around and ate too much food, everyone doting on Grace who was clinging furiously to Steve any chance she got.
As the hours dragged on, Grace’s energy started to wane, the little girl finally falling asleep against Steve’s chest once the cousins had left. The two of them quickly said their last goodbyes there, not being able to see him off in the morning. He stood up awkwardly with Grace in his arms, Danny following Steve and locking up.
‘Can I stay with you tonight?’ Grace asked, eyes half open, her hand signs sloppy from being so tired.
Danny glanced at Steve, waiting to see the man’s response. Steve simply nodded, holding Grace closer as he walked up to their bedroom. He placed her down in the middle of the bed, him and Danny stripping down into their boxers and a t-shirt before slipping in either side of her. They wrapped their arms around each other, no one speaking, just holding each other close knowing that this was their last chance to do this for a while.
The three of them awoke early the next morning. Steve going through the motions of getting ready in his navy fatigues while Danny and Grace lay together on the bed, silently watching. With only less than an hour before Steve had to be on base, Danny and Grace finally got out of bed and also got ready, the mood of the entire family sombre.
Grace put on her favourite navy blue NAVY t-shirt, wearing it proudly as she held her fathers’ hands walking towards the large ship together. Steve dropped his duffle bag down on the concrete, bending down on one knee and pulling his daughter in his arms, simply holding her close. He moved her back and held her at arms-length, hands cupping either side of her head, trying to memorise her face.
‘I love you, take care of Danno for me, okay?’ Steve signed, kissing her forehead at her hesitant nod.
Steve stood, staring at Danny for several silent moments, neither man ready to make the first move in saying goodbye. Finally, they both just moved together, falling into each other into a fierce embrace. “I love you, and I promise you, I will do everything I can to return to you and Grace, please, don’t worry about me, I’ll stay safe, I have so much more to come home to,” Steve whispered into Danny’s ear.
“You better,” Danny warned, pressing his lips to Steve’s, holding Steve impossibly close. “I love you,” Danny added, his face only millimetres from Steve’s. “You fight babe, you fight to come back home to us because we need you okay? And please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t do anything stupid, I’m not going to be there to back you up,” he whispered, trying to lighten the mood. “I also need you back so I can marry you, you big goof,” he added, foreheads pressed close together, hand pressed over the tattoo on his chest that Steve had gotten only a few weeks ago.
Steve nodded, eyes bright with unshed tears. This was the first time ever Steve had someone seeing him off, the first time he had someone ready and waiting for him to get back safe. He knew that he would do whatever he could to get back to his ohana in one piece; he just hoped he could pull it off. With a final kiss to Danny’s lips, Steve stood back and picked up his bags, shouldering them and breathing in deep.
“See you around,” Steve said and signed, not saying goodbye but not promising to return.
Danny pulled Grace into his arms, the little girl sobbing freely into his shoulder, the two of them watching as Steve boarded the ship. They stayed that way long after the ship set off, Steve long since leaving their view, silent tears running down both their faces.
‘Come on, let’s go home,’ Danny finally said, carrying Grace back to the car, dreading returning to the now empty home.
-End for now!
Next chapter.
Please remember to prompt me if you got one! And comments are love! They honestly do make me want to write more! :D