MCA #0, Thursday morning

[grenadesandohana]

Steve had woken up this morning being squashed under a military-issue duffel bag with "NAVY OBLIGATIONS" stenciled neatly on the side, tripped over a matching one labeled "BULLFROG" and careened into "FREDDY," and fell onto "AFGHANISTAN."

"Fucking fuck," he muttered from the ground. "Danny?"

Comments

[hatesparadise]

"Babe?" Look, Danny was flat out gonna ignore all these bags.

Even if the one labeled MATT made him flinch.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm doing great," Steve said, holding his thumb from where he was faceplanted on the floor. "No notes."

[hatesparadise]

"We better not get called back to Oahu." Oh yeah, that would go super well.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve groaned. "I can't fly like this."

They'd sink under the weight of his baggage.

[hatesparadise]

"...and it looks like the doors out are blocked." By Doris. Which seemed pretty thematically accurate.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve glanced up and groaned louder. "Are both of those Doris suitcases mine?"

[hatesparadise]

"You know what? I really don't know." It was both of theirs.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve snorted without humor. "She'd love that."

[hatesparadise]

"We are not telling your mother that she got in my head too," Danny informed him with a finger pointed in Steve's direction.

A bad labeled 'persnickety' dropped next to him.

"Seriously?!"

That word a day calendar got to everything, Daniel.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve laughed quietly from the floor. "That's quite a word," he commented, shoving the duffle out of the way.

[hatesparadise]

"C'mere," Danny said, offering him a hand. "I'm not gonna get down there with you without pulling something."

Ooop, and there was a bag with 'not able to keep up' on it.

[grenadesandohana]

"You're able to keep up," Steve said to Danny with a glare at the bag as he used Danny's hand to get off the ground.

[hatesparadise]

"I'm really not with you, babe," Danny said, giving it an annoyed look. "Not gonna stop me from trying."

[grenadesandohana]

"You're always where I need you," Steve said, ignoring "SELF-SACRIFICING IDIOT" landing near the window.

[hatesparadise]

It was spot on and Danny would have to smack him if he tried it again. "Yeah, we're not goin' out with this happening."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve grumbled. "I need to go for a run."

He didn't turn around to see what the new bag said as it thumped onto the floor. He knew it was an unflattering comment about using exercise instead of therapy or something.

[hatesparadise]

Well. He did.

"Nope, you're havin' coffee with me."

[grenadesandohana]

"And after that, I can go for a run."

Probably not, Steven.

[hatesparadise]

"You wanna trip on more of these?"

Like that 'Mother hen' bag that dropped on the ground.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve grinned. "I can dodge 'em."

[hatesparadise]

"So, when I have to come pick you up from the clinic..."

[grenadesandohana]

"You can hit me with that bag," Steve said, pointing to the small "TAKES THINGS TOO FAR."

[hatesparadise]

"Oh, I will." He'd do it gladly. And then yell a lot.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm used to it," Steve said with a fond grin.

[hatesparadise]

Hey, check out that 'ANXIOUS WRECK' duffle bag!

"Yeah, yeah," Danny said, knowing that wasn't shocking news or anything. "Coffee."

[grenadesandohana]

"Coffee," Steve agreed. "Lead the way."

[hatesparadise]

"This is ridiculous," Danny said, avoiding that duffle bag to search out the Kona stuff.

[grenadesandohana]

"Completely," Steve agreed, shoving the ANXIOUS WRECK bag out of sight.

[hatesparadise]

"And rude too," he decided. "Rude as hell."

[grenadesandohana]

"Completely," Steve said, moving around a foot locker that said "NORTH KOREA."

[hatesparadise]

"How many things am I gonna see here that are redacted?" Danny asked, getting the coffee started.

[grenadesandohana]

"Hopefully nothing," Steve said, frowning as a "RIGHTFULLY PARANOID" handbag landed next to him, followed by a "CHAMP" toolbox.

[hatesparadise]

"Milk," Danny ordered so he could shove the toolbox in a fucking closet somewhere.

[grenadesandohana]

"Getting the milk," Steve said, ducking his head immediately into the fridge.

[hatesparadise]

Danny was already scooping it up to shove elsewhere. Out of the way. Because fuck that thing.

"If your dad shows up here again I'm gonna so more than yell," he muttered.

[grenadesandohana]

"Found the milk," Steve said, dodging the "AVOIDANCE ISSUES" as it landed.

[hatesparadise]

"You can cook the eggs," Danny said, giving the newest box a look because, well, yeah. He knew that about Steve. It was a family trait.

[grenadesandohana]

"Because you make terrible eggs," Steve said, ignoring the 'PICKS FIGHTS FOR FUN' wallet. It was small and ignorable.

[hatesparadise]

"...that you or me?" Because. Well.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve shrugged. "Could be either," he admitted.

[hatesparadise]

"Well, at least we got that in common," he said, bumping into Steve's side as he passed to pour their coffees.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve smiled. "Is it a good sign when our baggage agrees?"

[hatesparadise]

"Eh, case by case basis."

'SUCKER FOR AN UNDERDOG' dropped in the form of a grocery bag.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm not an underdog," Steve mutttered.

[hatesparadise]

"Babe, it's a magic grocery bag." Clearly it didn't always tell the truth. Even if it kind of did here.

[grenadesandohana]

"And being mad at a magic grocery bag is dumb," Steve said.

[hatesparadise]

"Got it in one," he agreed.

[grenadesandohana]

"But I'm kind of annoyed at a magic grocery bag," Steve said, glaring at it.

[hatesparadise]

"How's that going for you?" Danny asked, offering Steve his terrible butter coffee.

[grenadesandohana]

"It's doing nothing," Steve said with a dry smile.

[hatesparadise]

"Weird, huh?" Danny replied with a smile that said Steve was a goof, but he was Danny's goof.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'll keep trying," Steve said, smiling back. "Want fruit with breakfast? There's some pineapple in the fridge."

[hatesparadise]

"I hate you so much," Danny informed him.

'PICKS FIGHTS FOR FUN' plopped down again!

[grenadesandohana]

"That one yours?" Steve asked, pointing. "It feels like yours."

[hatesparadise]

"Probably," Danny said, putting a hand on the small of Steve's back for a kiss.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve kissed him back. "I like that you pick fights for fun."

[hatesparadise]

"Syncs us up," Danny agreed

[grenadesandohana]

Steve kissed him again. "It's good when our baggage understands each other."

[hatesparadise]

"What, you think we wouldn't know these things after this long?"

[grenadesandohana]

"I like to pretend I have some secrets," Steve admitted.

[hatesparadise]

"Not about who you are," Danny replied.

[grenadesandohana]

"I don't usually let people in this close," Steve said. "EMOTIONALLY UNAVAILABLE" slammed down next him. Helpfully.

[hatesparadise]

Danny shoved it over. "I know. Which is why you should listen when I call some things here bullshit."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve snorted. "Like what? They're all pretty accurate."

[hatesparadise]

"Okay, some of 'em, but they lack nuance." Which made it different.

[grenadesandohana]

"How would nuance help?" Steve asked.

[hatesparadise]

"You didn't exactly have the emotional health role models to help you be the paragon of that," Danny replied. "But you're tryin' now."

[grenadesandohana]

"I hate our therapist," Steve admitted before a bag could tattle on him.

[hatesparadise]

"Well, you might like one if you let me actually pick 'em instead of having to go with a couple's counselor," Danny shot back.

[grenadesandohana]

"That sounds like having to go to two therapists," Steve muttered. 'WEAKNESS' slammed down next him hard enough to dent the counter.

[hatesparadise]

"Oh, now that one is bullshit." Steve, you were testing him here!

[grenadesandohana]

Steve silently arched up an eyebrow. He didn't think so.

[hatesparadise]

"I do therapy. Am I weak to you?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Of course not," Steve replied immediately.

[hatesparadise]

"Continue that logic then," Danny replied.

[grenadesandohana]

And here came the "JACK McGARRETT" safe.

"I am."

[hatesparadise]

"Not weak," Danny repeated, poking him in the chest.

[grenadesandohana]

"Ow," Steve retorted, poking Danny back.

[hatesparadise]

"You hear me?" Danny asked, not letting that deter him.

[grenadesandohana]

"I hear you," Steve said.

[hatesparadise]

"Good." Danny nodded. "Eggs. And then you can try running like a psycho."

[grenadesandohana]

"You mis-pronounced 'health-conscious person'," Steve said sweetly.

[hatesparadise]

"Yeah, yeah," Danny grumbled, leaning in to kiss him.

[grenadesandohana]

"You could come with me," Steve wheedled.

[hatesparadise]

"I am not going running on stairs or sand," Danny informed him sweetly.

'OLD AND BUSTED' gym bag appeared at that.

"I'm just middled aged!"

[grenadesandohana]

It was immediately joined by Steve's 'FEAR OF BEING MADE REDUNDANT' bag, which he also glared at.

[hatesparadise]

"You are not gonna be redundant!" Danny insisted. "You just gotta learn when you can take a break."

[grenadesandohana]

"The only easy day was yesterday," Steve recited.