Fandom: Hawaii Five-0

Pairing: Steve & Danny

Rating: PG-13

Warning: None

Summary: After Steve's name is cleared and Five-0 is reinstated, the guys take a moment to reconnect.

TOUGH GUYS

by

Candy Apple

Everyone had gone home except Steve and Danny. The former was busying himself with throwing away beer bottles and other debris from their impromptu celebration of the reinstatement of Five-0. The latter was busying himself watching the former. It was almost unbelievable that in a couple days' time, Steve had gone from being a prisoner facing a nearly certain conviction and life behind bars, to suffering a serious wound, to being a fugitive and, finally, to being a wronged man who was now vindicated, had his life back, and was safe. Well, until the next death-defying thing he did.

Steve walked to the door of Danny's office and poked his head inside.

"Hey, you wanna give me a hand out here? When I said 'Danny and I can clean up', I had a joint effort in mind."

"You have a tendency to volunteer me for things I didn't agree to," he replied, not moving. Steve cocked his head and gave him a look. Danny hauled himself out of the chair and joined Steve near the computer. "You're pretty much done," he said, picking up a couple empty potato chip bags and tossing them in the trash bag Steve held open.

"We haven't had much chance to talk since I got out," he said, tying the top of the trash bag and setting it near the exit where the janitorial service would pick it up.

"You mean since you jumped out of a moving ambulance with a life-threatening wound? No, we haven't really talked about that." Danny hadn't meant to snap at him, but it just came out that way.

"What did you want me to do, Danny? It was the only chance to clear my name. I couldn't just rot in that jail and wait to be convicted."

"You could have died."

"Yeah, I could have. Or I could have just stayed behind bars and waited for Wo Fat to kill me. Given the two choices, at least I'd have died on my own terms this way."

"There's no good way for you to die!" Danny shouted back. "I don't care whose terms it's on!"

"Why are you yelling at me again?"

"Because..." Danny shrugged. "I don't know why I'm yelling at you," he said quietly.

"I do."

He walked over to Danny and pulled him close, wrapping him up in a tight hug. It felt so good and he was so glad Steve was okay, that they had their lives back. Some part of him felt like he should pull back, crack a joke, and move on, but he couldn't. He held onto Steve like a life preserver and worked hard not to break down. When Steve did, it was too much, and he let go, too.

Steve had to be tired and drained, and there were more questions than answers now about his father. Danny was still reeling from losing out on a child he thought was his. Oddly, holding Steve, having him alive and well and back in his life made losing Rachel not only bearable, but seem almost marginal by comparison. That bothered him. A lot. The time was going to come when he would have to confront that and what it truly meant for him, and for Steve. Right now wasn't that time. Neither one of them had the emotional energy to do anything life altering.

"We'll figure this thing out with your dad. It'll be okay."

"I know. Just tired," Steve admitted.

"Me, too, babe."

"You wanna go back to my place and watch some bad movies?"

Danny stepped back and Steve let him go, but they didn't move too far away from each other.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's stop at Rainbow first for something to eat."

"I'd kill for one of their mix plates right now."

"Don't do that. We just got you off the last murder rap."

"You're a real smart ass, you know that?" Steve wiped at his eyes. "For being the top cops in Hawaii, we're not acting very tough," he joked. Danny was sniffing and wiping at his own eyes.

"Yeah, we're tougher than we look. I kinda miss that drive-in food, too."

"I've had an excuse not to go there," Steve said, chuckling. "Trust me, my diet has been worse than yours recently."

"Didn't really feel like going there alone," Danny admitted quietly. "It's kind of a two-person experience, don't you think?"

"Yeah, lots of things are," Steve said. "Except, apparently, cleaning this place up. You'd rather be alone than be with me doing that, I notice," he added.

"You're the one who had to be Mr. Hospitality and tell everyone you'd clean up after them. I didn't offer to do that," Danny countered as they headed for the exit.

"It's called being a good host. Graciousness. It's what you do when you have people over. You wouldn't know about that because whenever I come to your place, I have to ask for a beer and go get it myself."

"That's called making yourself at home! It's a sign of friendship, hospitality. Mi casa-su casa, that kind of thing."

"It's called a lazy host who won't get off the couch," Steve retorted.

"I don't know why I missed you at all."

"But you did," Steve said, smiling as he held out his hand. Danny smiled, and shook it. "That's nice, buddy, but I want the car keys. I'm driving."

Danny pulled back his hand, dug in his pocket, and tossed the car keys at Steve, who caught them with a smug grin. Danny maintained his irritated expression for Steve's benefit, but had trouble hiding his own little grin as they got into the car and headed for the drive-in.