Six Impossible Things, Chapter 3b
. . .
Hi Danno,
I’m glad Steve told you his story. I bet he feels a lot better. Maybe you should sing him the Lullaby song too? You said he has his dad’s old guitar. You could play on that. I bet Steve would really like it.
Today is boring. No one wants to play Five Card Draw with me. Cath called me a card shark. But she looked like she was proud of me.
I still don’t know how to help the Queen. Stan says to just be myself and she’ll start to feel better. I hope so Danno, since I don’t have any good ideas.
Tell Kono and Steve I said hi. And give Steve a hug.
I love you,
Grace
. . .
Hey Monkey,
That was a great idea! Steve loved the song so much he wants to learn it himself. But only if that’s cool with you. J
Baby you are a card shark and Daddy is so proud of you. I taught Kono how to play Five Card Draw too and she’s already better than me! She’s no match for you though.
I think Stan is right about the Queen. From what I hear, she just has a broken heart. All you have to do is be you, because everybody loves you. Remember Grace: love is always stronger than hate. Always.
Kono says hi and she can’t wait to meet you. Steve sends a hug but I told him he has to wait in line because I’m gonna get to hug you first.
I love you more,
Danno
. . .
Steve watched Danny as he wrote his reply to Grace. He’d always admired Danny because of the stories he’d been told, but actually knowing Danny made Steve love him. And it scared the hell out of Steve, because the only way this thing could end was with Danny and Grace going back home and Steve never seeing either of them again.
But it was so worth it. Steve couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without having felt this way about Danny. He’d take only having Danny in his life for right now over never knowing him at all.
So he took all the time he could to just enjoy being with Danny. He found himself just watching the other man: how the sun looked against his hair, or the way his hands were always moving, even in his sleep, or the smile he’d get sometimes, where he would actually beam at Steve and Steve would develop a sudden heart condition.
They’d acknowledged their feelings, but they hadn’t moved very far beyond kissing. Not that Steve was complaining, because he couldn’t think of a better place to be when Danny pulled him into his arms and kissed him stupid. Yesterday he’d forgotten his own name for a spell.
But their time was swiftly running out. Steve could be patient when he needed to be (after all, he’d waited quite some time for Danny to come to Oahu) but there were only three weeks left before the Queen’s birthday, and two of those weeks were already spoken for. They’d spend one with Chin, finalizing their plans. The other would be spent getting to the castle in time for the Queen’s party, using the celebration as a distraction so they could find the Albion Sword.
Then, well… then they’d worry about the JabberHesse.
Steve didn’t really like to think about that, because after that point there would be no more Danny. And thinking about that made Steve feel this horrible ache in his chest.
He just wanted to be with Danny, but he would never push him. Danny had a lot on his mind. Now was not the time for Steve to turn into a big needy girl.
“Yo! Earth to Gigantor!”
Danny was standing in front of him, snapping his fingers in Steve’s face.
So that’s what all that background noise had been.
“Sorry ipo. What were you saying?”
“I asked if you’d like to go for a walk with me and Kono. It’s not like we haven’t already covered How Not to Impale Yourself on Your Own Sword 101, and Kono and I don’t want to sit around here all day. Because, as pretty as you are to look at, trust me when I say that there are more interesting things to do than watch you think.”
Steve loved getting Danny riled up. That was another thing that he was really going to miss.
“Not that Kono and I don’t enjoy naming your many, many faces. In fact, she’s helping me make a catalogue, so that future generations will know of the McGarrett Facial Contortions. And we’re trade marking that name, so don’t steal it.”
Steve got up and kissed Danny silent.
“I would love to go for a walk with you guys.”
“Well hurry up!” Kono yelled from the front gate.
They locked up and went to join her. Steve looked at Danny, unable to keep the grin from his face.
“What? Do I have schmutz or something?”
“No, no. It’s just… well, you say I have a face? Well, you have a tone.”
“I do not have a tone!”
“Oh yes you do. I have a face, and you, my friend, have a tone.”
“Steve and I are making a catalogue of them.”
“Et tu, Kono? I thought we were friends!”
Kono stuck her tongue out at Danny, who clutched a hand to his heart in mock devastation.
Steve laughed until he cried.
. . .
It was Kono’s turn to make dinner. Danny was helping her chop up some mushrooms, and kept nattering on about taking a cleaver to the forest or something. She wasn’t really paying attention to the actual words, just enjoying the sound of his voice.
Steve had run off to Kamekona’s. Apparently, Kamekona had seen something that only Steve could know about. He’d said not to worry though; that it was something good. Kono hoped it was something that would make the coming separation easier on Steve. She’d noticed the sad look he got sometimes while he was looking at Danny.
Danny had finished chopping the mushrooms and handed them to Kono.
“Hey. Danny.”
“Hey. Kono.”
“What do you say we just putter around the next few days? There’s not much else we can do here. You’ve got your sword basics down, and it looks like the JabberHesse is waiting things out, so how about we just enjoy some quiet time?”
“You see Kono, this is why I love you,” he said, smiling warmly at her. “We should enjoy this time together while we can, yeah?”
“Exactly. And…”
“And?”
“I think it will be good for Steve. To have these memories. When you’re… when you…”
She felt so silly, getting all choked up in the kitchen.
“Hey, hey,” Danny soothed. He put his arms around her and she let her head fall down to his shoulder. It always baffled her how she could be taller than him but he still managed to make her feel so small in his arms. And safe. If only for a moment.
“It’ll be good for all of us honey. I need it too. Believe me, if there was any way I could stay or ask you guys to come with me, I would. You’re family now.”
“Ohana,” Kono whispered.
“Ohana,” Danny agreed.
That night, while dinner was cooking and they were waiting for Steve, she and Danny started working on something for their friend. Kono was thrilled to help Danny with his secret project, and she was a little comforted that at least they’d have something that would keep Danny close to them, even after he had to leave.
. . .
“So what’d you wanna tell me?”
Steve was sitting in Kamekona’s parlor, enjoying a shave ice. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had one, and Kamekona had been more than willing to oblige.
“This is gonna sound crazy, brah, but bear with me.”
“Okay.”
“I know you and blondie aren’t looking forward to being separated.”
“Understatement of the century, but do go on.”
“Well, what if I told you that when he leaves, he’s going to meet you again?”
“That’s impossible. I’ll be here.”
“You will be. But, here’s the thing: Danny’s not just from another land. He’s from another world. And in that world, there are other versions of all of us.”
“That’s impossible.”
“More impossible than something like the JabberHesse? Or that Danny even got here in the first place? Crazier things have happened, Steve.”
Steve just sat there, letting it all sink in.
“So… so he’s not really leaving me? Danny, I mean?”
“Yes and no. He’s going back, but there will be a Steve there for him too. And that Steve’s going to need him even more than we do.”
Steve couldn’t imagine having another life in even greater need of salvaging. This one was had more than enough problems as it was.
And then he understood what Kamekona was actually trying to tell him.
Danny might be leaving them, but he’d have ohana waiting for him. They’d all be there with him, in a way. And that meant that Danny was going to be happy in the long run. That was the only thing that really mattered to Steve.
He reached over and pressed Kamekona’s hand.
“Thank you.”
Kamekona’s eyes were twinkling at him.
“I’m glad it helps, brah.”
. . .
Danny’s last few days at McGarrett’s Crossing passed in a happy blur. Between packing up their gear and making sure the house would be secure while Steve and Kono were gone, the days were pretty full.
But at night, they would gather around the fire and just let themselves be. Steve would play the guitar, and most times Danny and Kono would sing along. Danny had been pleasantly surprised to find that Kono and Steve knew some Sinatra songs. It would seem that good music was the same no matter where you were.
Kono would tell stories too. She’d talk about her days before the JabberHesse, even before she met Steve. Danny learned that she used to be a pro surfer (he was in some version of Oahu, after all) until the dark days had come and she’d decided to use her ass-kicking abilities for a higher purpose.
Danny told them about all the places he’d been with Grace (they took a trip together every year, without fail), and he answered the questions they had about him, the ones the stories hadn’t satisfied. Kono loved all the stuff he told her about the beaches on his Oahu. He didn’t have the heart to tell her how much he actually hated the beach. Damn sand.
Steve kept asking him odd questions though. Like, if he had any friends on the island, or if they were like Steve and Kono. Danny told him that he’d met some nice people, but that Steve should know damn well that no one held a candle to him or Kono in the friend department. And then Steve made Thoughtful Face and changed the subject.
It felt like Steve was hiding something, or maybe knew something.
Danny hoped whatever it was, it was good.
. . .
“Danno! Let’s go! We want to get to the palace sometime before nightfall you know!”
“Be right there!”
Danny slung his rucksack over his shoulder and placed a bundle of parchment on Steve’s bedside table. It was wrapped with the tie Danny had been wearing when he first arrived, and the top sheet of parchment had a simple “Steve” scrawled in the middle.
He knew it wasn’t much, but he hoped it would make Steve happy after he had to leave.