Title: A Pony, A Dolphin, Or A Freaking Tank

Author: thewhiterose3

Pairing: Danny/Steve, slash

Disclaimer: Not mine. I only wish they were.

Rating: T, for language.

Two days later, he and Steve had barely left each other's line of sight for anything longer than a bathroom break. And really, surprisingly, Danny hadn't been happier in an extraordinarily long time. Probably since before his marriage with Rachel started falling apart. And really, the back support of Steve's bed, and the orgasms for the matter, weren't really hurting anything.

And now they were in Danny's car again, with Steve driving of course, on their way to pick up Grace. Danny had played with the idea of waiting to tell her, but this was his daughter. There was no way she wouldn't figure it out within a few hours with him anyway, even if he actively tried to hide it. Especially, then. Add that to the fact that Grace had been telling him he was in love with Steve for months, pushing him to make a move.

Those weren't her words, obviously. Hers were more along the lines of "Just kiss him Daddy. He totally wants you to." He'd expressly asked how in the world a seven year old, no his baby is eight now, knew when someone wants to kiss you. She'd placed her hands on her hips and gave him a disbelieving look that he just knew would be making many reappearances in her teenage years, daring him to underestimate her. "He looks at you, Daddy. He looks at your mouth. Everyone knows what that means." She would then shake her head sadly, mumbling something along the lines of "blind, both of you must be blind." He blamed Kono's influence.

So, basically, Danny is expecting Grace to whoop, jump-hug Steve, and possibly ask him for celebratory shave ice. After which, she will give Danny a significant glance where she will without words inform him that she expects him to tell her everything the next time they are alone. Steve, on the other hand, looks like he is going to his execution, making endless contingency plans to win Grace's heart, should this go badly, imagining all the ways he is sure it will.

"Steve, Steven. You are not facing a firing squad, not that you are afraid those like a normal human being who feels fear around things other than eight year old girls. We are picking up my daughter, the light of my life, the reason I came to this island which led me to meeting your sorry ass, so she can spend the weekend with us."

Danny noticed that Steve couldn't stop the upward quirk of his lips at Danny's choice of plural pronouns. Point for Danny.

"She already adores you. I told you that she was the one that pointed out that I was incredibly obviously in love with you. She will be high pitched, ear-shatteringly high pitched with happiness that we finally, she will point out the finally, figured it out for ourselves. So stop. Stop mentally cataloging where you can purchase her a pony or a dolphin or a freaking tank. You will not. I repeat, you do not need to buy my daughter's love."

"You think Grace would like a tank? Because I do have a few contacts…" Steve trails off, the mischief creeping back into his voice.

"You! You should come with a warning label, my friend. Does not respond well to logic. Will give you an ulcer. Does dive head first into danger. Will try to spoil your daughter via tank."

Danny continues as they pull up to Grace's school and get out to lean against the car, waiting for her to exit.

"No. No, absolutely not. You are not going to buy or build or imagine into being a tank playhouse for my daughter. And I realize that between you and the BAMF cousins, you could disarm all of the things that explode. I know that you're thinking through the logistics. I know that face and no. No, Steven, there is not enough room in the yard."

Steve begins to pout only to instantly light up when Danny starts talking about his humble abode as theirs. He hasn't officially asked Danny, or more likely nagged Danny into moving in, but Danny knows it's only a matter of time. They're just standing there grinning brightly when a familiar squeal of delight turns both of their attention toward the school.

"Daddy! Uncle Steve!" Grace sprints into Danny's waiting arms only to disengage herself and reattach to Steve. As soon as he puts her down, she grins and addresses Steve.

"You kissed him! Finally!" Grace asserts, practically vibrating with excitement.

Steve, honest to God, Danny's not making this shit up, blushes. Steve Navy SEALs don't feel emotions, especially in public, McGarrett blushes from four words from his little girl. Damn, this is a good day. Though this wasn't the plan, Danny is used to Grace's intelligence derailing his plans and just goes with it.

Balancing on this good knee, Danny comes down to her level, so he can look Grace in the eye. "Yeah, monkey, you're right. Uncle Steve kissed me on Wednesday."

"And you didn't tell me? Daddy, that was days ago!" Grace sounds honestly affronted by the slight. Danny feels a hand on his back, steadying him as Steve joins them, crouching on the sidewalk. Danny can't help but lean into Steve, taking some of the pressure off his bad knee, and definitely not at all unconsciously soaking up Steve's warmth and nearness, as Steve begins to explain that they wanted to tell her in person.

Watching Grace's face, Danny knows that they have even less to worry about than he had previously attempted to convince Steve. Gracie is beaming at them with greater intensity than when she was actually, physically swimming with dolphins. Danny hadn't thought that was possible.

Grace interrupts Steve's floundering explanation with a stern look and hands on her hips, addressing each of them in turn. "Steve, you make Daddy yell in the good, happy way. Daddy, you make Steve not sad, anymore." Grace squares herself, obviously addressing the both of them, still crouched, leaning in to each other. "Mess this up and I'll get Kono to beat you both up," and then add as an afterthought "Chin'll help, too."

Danny can't help the smile that's threatening to split his face in two at his daughter's earnestness. "Now that is a threat, indeed. As you wish, Princess Grace," Danny acquiesces, reaching for her hand and kissing it. Steve automatically mirrors the action with her other hand as Grace's giggles attempt to double her over. Before Danny can begin to straighten, Grace hug-attacks them, stretching her arms to encompass both he and Steve.

His eyes meeting Steve's, he thinks super-SEAL might actually be tearing up. Danny looks over Steve's shoulder in an attempt fend off the emotion rising in his chest, threatening to drip down his face. He's both surprised and, as an afterthought, not, to realize that they are the last ones left in front of the school. It's time to go home.

"How about some shave ice to celebrate?" Danny asks, the perfect way to get Grace to let go her loving death grip on the two of them.

As they're loading Grace and her stuff into the back of the car, she starts the conversation that Danny was hoping she'd been sufficiently distracted from.

"But Daddy, if Steve kissed you, then I won the bet and that means that we get to go to the singing restaurant."

"But Moooonkey," Danny practically whines, making Gracie laugh and Steve chuckle.

Steve pipes up, infinitely more relaxed than the drive here, "how about we find a compromise, Gracie-bear. I'm sure we can come up with something," winking at Grace in the rearview mirror.

Grace enthusiastically agrees, especially when Danny starts arguing. A battle he already knows he'll never be able to win.

"No. No, Steven. We talked about this. You are not buying my daughter a tank to play in. No, absolutely not. Do you even realize how impractical that is? Do you? Of course you don't, idiot," Danny continues, not even in the vicinity of stern.

"Why would I want a tank?", Grace interrupts, crinkling her nose at the very idea. "Can I have ship, instead? Like Uncle Steve's granddaddy served on?"

Steve's smile is so wide that Danny can't even find it in himself to start explaining that you can't just acquire Naval vessels, because you know what, Steve probably can. And he just knows he'll have to explain to Steve later that no, Grace cannot be gifted with an actual Navy ship, even a decommissioned one.

But maybe they could build her a playset on the beach in the shape of a ship. He can picture it in his minds eye, Steve and Gracie, leaning over the kitchen table, designing her new club house with a slide out into the surf, knowing them. The image fills him with warmth and Danny takes Steve unoccupied hand and intertwines it with his own.

Yup, this is his life.

"We'll see, baby. We'll see."