Steve & Danny's House, Honolulu

[grenadesandohana]

It wasn't entirely because Steve was a delicate hothouse flower and the East Coast was going to be cold as hell this weekend that Steve and Danny were back in Hawai'i! They had things to do in Honolulu! Family things! Yes!

Family things involving surfing and then sitting on the beach and charging up on the sun like a 6-foot plus human solar panel while Charlie worked on a sand castle.

Steve was cleaning the last of the breakfast dishes when the doorbell rang. His forehead crinkled: he wasn't expecting anyone, and the people he knew wouldn't ring the doorbell. He calmed down his hyper-vigilance by reminding his brain that serial killers wouldn't ring the doorbell, either, and sauntered to the door with a dishtowel over his shoulder...and a pocketknife in his back pocket. Just in case.

He answered the door and found a painfully earnest kid in his Navy work uniform who snapped to immediate attention.

"Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes?" Steve replied, sounding a little wary.

"Special Operator 2nd Class Junior Reigns. It's an honor to meet you, sir," the infant replied.

God, had Steve really been this young at one point? "Nice to meet you, Junior," Steve replied. "Please relax. I'm, um, I'm not on Teams anymore." And that only sort of killed him to say. Progress! "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, my Master Chief David Lange always spoke very highly of you," Junior said with a hopeful smile.

"David Lange?" Steve chuckled a little self-consciously. Lange had been at the bar in Annapolis a few weeks ago. This felt like a subtle (for SEALs) intervention, getting checked on by a younger version of himself. At least it wasn't an intervention from Dick Pic Scott. Steve would never get over that.

"He's your master chief? He was my dive buddy," Steve said with what he hoped didn't look like a slightly awkward smile.

"He mentioned that," Junior said with a much less awkward smile. "He says you're the best."

"Well, don't believe everything David Lange says," Steve said, running his hand through his hair. "When you headed back downrange?"

"Actually, sir, I just processed out," Junior said, and his earnestness increased tenfold.

Steve knew exactly what Lange was trying now, but he had to confirm it. "Well... Special Operator 2nd Class Junior Reigns, I gotta say, I'm intrigued as to why you're standing on my porch this morning."

"I heard about the task force you run and, you know," Junior said, "the type of work you do, and... well, to tell you the truth, I need a job."

Of course he did. "Ahh," Steve said, nodding and praying for Danny to come rescue him.

[OOC: For Danny, who will not rescue him.]

Comments

[hatesparadise]

Rescue? Pfft. That was for suckers.

"No running!" Danny shouted from further in the house as Charlie did his level best to brain himself on something. Anything. Probably a wall. Maybe even Steve as he slammed into Steve's side.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve tried to repress the wince as Charlie barrelled into him. "No running in the house, Charlie," Steve said.

[hatesparadise]

Special Operator 2nd Class Junior Reigns was doing his level best to not look surprised by a child and to keep his focus on McGarrett here. Which was important for a job and all.

"How many times we gotta say that?" Danny asked, coming in with a kitchen towel tossed over his shoulder in a supremely domestic way. "Oh. We got guests?"

[grenadesandohana]

David Lange had, apparently, left a few things out. "Danny, this is Special Operator 2nd Class Junior Reigns," Steve said. "Junior, meet Detective Williams, Five-0. Lange told Junior we might be recruiting."

Save him, Danny. Save him from the tiny version of himself.

[hatesparadise]

Danny raised his eyebrows at that, but offered Junior a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you. Want something to drink?"

He would not be helping you ignore the baby version of yourself, Steven. He categorically would not.

[grenadesandohana]

Junior, if it was even possible, stood straighter. "Sir, that would not be necessary, thank you though, sir."

Steve suppressed a small sigh.

[hatesparadise]

"Wow," Danny said, trying his best not to grin. Then repeated it again with a glance down at Charlie that didn't bother hiding the grin. "Wow."

Charlie beamed back up at him, clutching at Steve's shirt.

"Alright. First off we're gonna drop the sir. Second, Charlie and I are gonna get you two some lemonade. Or whatever pineapple monstrosity pretending to be lemonade we've got here."

And leave Steve to deal with this like a kind, loving partner.

[grenadesandohana]

Coward. Coward.

Junior watched Danny and Charlie leave with a confused look on his face. "I don't require lemonade, sir."

"How long have you been back, Junior?" Steve asked.

"Two hours, sir."

That explained a lot.

[hatesparadise]

"Make him sit down," Danny shouted from the kitchen anyway. "That posture is giving my back sympathy pains."

[grenadesandohana]

"Why don't you come in," Steve said, opening the door wider.

"If you say so, sir," Junior said.

[hatesparadise]

Precious little baby SEAL.

Danny sent Charlie outside to play with a firm warning about not going into the water without someone else being there. Which meant so many holes would be dug on the beach. So, so many.

"So, a job, huh?" Danny said, bringing out glasses to them.

[grenadesandohana]

"Yes, sir," Junior said, going to attention again. "I believe I could be a valuable asset to your team. Master Chief Lange would vouch for me."

And gave Junior his address, Steve noted silently.

[hatesparadise]

"Lange is--" Danny made a vague face at Steve that should honestly say exactly what he was thinking here. "--Longjohn? Or Tina?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Longjohn," Steve said, nodding. "Not Dick Pic."

[hatesparadise]

"Ah." Danny's face when on a journey there.

And Junior, poor, poor Junior... watched this entire exchange with an untouched glass of lemonade in hand. Completely at a loss as what to say to that in this particular situation.

[grenadesandohana]

"Tina's the fourth Martinez," Steve added like that made sense.

Get used to this, Junior.

[hatesparadise]

Look, this was just testing to see how he handled things for the job at hand. And look at how patient he was being. Awkwardly holding a glass and watching this exchange.

"I thought he was Tall Martinez," Danny said, making a face.

[grenadesandohana]

"Nope, Tall Martinez is taller," Steve said helpfully.

[hatesparadise]

"Huh," Danny said, leaning against couch closest to Steve. "I'm not gonna remember that at all."

How long could they keep this up before Junior finally cracked?

[grenadesandohana]

"He also won't answer to Tina," Steve said. "He normally sits near Dick Pic and drinks the beer with the pickle juice shot chasers."

Boys, stop.

[hatesparadise]

"They why do you even call him Tina?" Danny asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

[grenadesandohana]

"Short for Martinez, but not as short as Short Martinez," Steve said like that made sense.

[hatesparadise]

"No, I get that," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "But why do you call that if he won't answer to it?"

[grenadesandohana]

Steve paused, thinking about it. "...habit?"

[hatesparadise]

"Uh huh."

Outside there was a shout of 'DANNOOOOO', which made Danny sigh and push off the couch. "Okay, do your interrogation. Let me check to make sure he hasn't found another dead fish or something."