Shaved Ice
Zebraboymom
Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. So I've been told.
Author Notes: Just a little one shot that has been niggling at my brain since the episode on Monday.
Steve walked along the boardwalk to Kamekona's shaved ice stand. His skates were slung over his shoulder. It was Saturday and he was bored. Since he and Catherine had broken up he spent his weekends alone unless one of the team was free.
He enjoyed Danny and Chin, but he really liked spending time with Kono. She was a blast in every situation whether they were surfing, hiking or camping. He loved hiking with her. Danny whined the whole time and Chin was so quiet you could go crazy. Kono on the other hand could keep up with him no matter what and she was great at spotting wildlife that the others missed. She had a keen eye for observation.
The last time they camped she was the only one that thought it was funny that it rained. She insisted they play cards in her tent all squished together like sardines. He had to admit it was fun. She would always think of something different to do when the others drew a blank. He had to admit he was a little miffed. She had snubbed him when he suggested they go roller-skating today. Now he wouldn't get to see her until Monday.
So, he was going to drown himself in shaved ice and then skate until he fell over. He didn't need anybody else.
He laughed out loud as he approached the shaved ice stand and saw Kamekona's mascot dancing around in the heat. He started to greet him when the guy abruptly turned away and headed down the boardwalk. He called after him, but he kept going.
It wasn't until he watched the retreating form that he realized he had seen those legs before and they were not hairy. Those slender arms looked familiar too. It was Kono! Steve bent over laughing so hard he almost fell down. He chased after her and Kono took off running as fast as she could, given the bulky costume. He tackled her in the grass by the boardwalk and started tickling her mercilessly. Her muffled voice begged him.
"Cut it out Steve. I'm dying in here. It's like a hundred and two inside this thing."
Steve pinned her arms down and straddled her silly costume.
"Oh Kono, if you could see yourself from my perspective."
"When I get out of this thing I am so going to kick your butt."
Steve stood up and pulled her to her feet. He couldn't help himself; he grabbed her in a big hug and lifted her off the ground.
"Oh I am so going to have fun with this one. So, what will you give me to keep me from telling Danny and Chin?"
Kono stalked off towards the shave ice stand with Steve following close behind and he noticed she was swaying a bit as she walked. When she got in the back door she turned her back to Steve.
"Unzip me and get me out of this thing."
Steve slipped the zipper down and Kono emerged. Her hair was plastered to her face and she was sweating like crazy. She stumbled a little and Steve caught her in his arms.
"Hey, take it easy there, Rookie. Are you okay?"
The room was spinning and Kono looked dazed. Steve was worried about her. She could have heat stroke. Before she could even react, he had her in his arms and he was running to the showers just across the boardwalk by the beach. He reached, pulled the chain and stood under the water with her in his arms. Kono's head was slumped against his shoulder and he was starting to get scared. They stood that way for a while until Kono was able to lift her head. Steve carried her back to the grassy area and Kono kicked her legs.
"Put me down Steve. I'm going to be sick."
Kono dropped down on the grass and started to throw up. Steve ran to the shaved ice stand and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. Kamekona got a dirty look as he ran back to her side. He rubbed her back in slow circles as she heaved until nothing else could come out. Steve untwisted the cap to one bottle.
"Rinse your mouth out with this one. This one's for you to drink."
"Th…thanks Steve."
After she downed the second bottle, she tried to stand up but her legs were like jelly. Steve swept her up in his arms again and carried her over to a bench sitting down with her in his lap. He swept her hair out of her face and ran his free hand up and down her arm.
"Talk to me Sweetheart. Do I need to take you to the hospital?"
"No…no hospital. I hate hospitals."
"How long were you wearing that sauna?"
"I don't know…a couple of hours."
"I'm going to kill Kamekona for letting you do this. That's why you bailed on me isn't it?"
"The other guy wasn't working out. I promised him I'd help him this weekend."
"Speak of the devil. Here he comes now."
Kono leaned her head back against Steve's shoulder. She liked being in his lap and being held by his strong arms. Normally she wouldn't let a guy see her this vulnerable, but with Steve it was different. She still felt as weak as a kitten.
"Kono, you okay, Honey?"
Steve's voice was rough and angry.
"What were you thinking Kamekona? She could have gotten heat stroke and died in that thing."
"Kono, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay Kamekona. You didn't know."
"She's done. You got that man? Done."
"Sure. Sure. I was just trying to drum up business. Thanks Kono. You gonna take care of our girl Steve?"
"I got her man."
Kamekona walked back to his stand with his head down. He really did look like he felt terrible. Steve looked down at Kono with concern.
"I don't like that you threw up Kono. You're probably really dehydrated. I'm going to take you out to my place and get some more fluids in you. I've got a juicer and I'll cook you a nice steak. You could use the protein."
"You know you are the biggest worry wart. I'm already starting to feel better."
To prove her point Kono scooted out of Steve's lap and stood up. Well, she tried to stand up, but everything got fuzzy again. Steve slipped his arm around her waist and led her to his jeep. He scooped her up and sat her in the passenger seat; buckling her seatbelt and smoothing her hair back again. Kono didn't argue.
The ride to Steve's house revived her somewhat and she started to feel her stomach settle down. Steve reached behind the seat and pulled out another bottle of water for her.
"Drink young lady."
"Yes, Boss."
"And outside of work don't call me Boss."
"Yes. Steve."
When they got to Steve's he walked around and scooped her up again before she could even think about climbing out. He carried her around to his backyard and laid her gently in his hammock. It was shady and cool. Kono closed her eyes in relief and started drifting off before Steve even got in the house. He tossed a kiwi, an orange and half a mango in his juicer. The finished product was poured in a glass and topped off with sparkling water. He walked back out into the yard and pulled a lawn chair over to the hammock. He smiled down at Kono. She was swinging ever so slightly and he could see her color returning. He slipped his arm gently under her shoulders and lifted her up. She took a sip and the most amazing moan came out of her mouth.
"Oh, man. That is so good!"
"I told you. Right?"
"You are a genius."
She downed the drink in a few gulps and looked up at Steve with gratitude. Sighing contentedly she collapsed back into the hammock. Steve smiled.
"You rest. I'll make you another one and then how about I put some steaks on the grill?"
Kono lifted one eyelid and smiled at him.
"This day is getting better by the minute."
"Kono…I…I'm sorry I tackled you and tickled you. If I'd known you were really not doing well, I never would have chased you. I know I made it worse. I…I'm so sorry."
Kono reached out and caught Steve's hand.
"It's okay Boss, I'm fine. Really."
Steve smirked and patted her head as he headed back to the kitchen..
"It's Steve, Kono. It's Steve."
"Steve?"
"Yeah?"
"I like my steak medium well and can we have roasted vegetables?"
"Boy, you are really going to milk this aren't you? Just remember Danny and Chin don't know about your escapades today…yet."
"Did I mention how easy I am? Anything you fix will be just great."
An hour later, after having changed into dry clothes and cooked, Steve walked back over to the hammock and waved a plate with a steak and roasted potatoes under her nose. She smiled, stretched and climbed out of the hammock. Steve stood close just in case she was still wobbly.
"I'm fine Steve. Really."
Steve carried her plate over to his picnic table and put another fruit juice blend by it. Kono sat down and breathed in her meal.
"You really know how to treat a girl, you know that Brah?"
Steve looked up at her and caught her eyes.
"Just the ones I really like."
A blush rose to Kono's cheek. Steve thought she looked so pretty that way.
They ate and talked until the late afternoon. Finally Steve needed to ask.
"Kono, why do you hate hospitals so much?"
He caught her totally off guard and her eyes went wide as she quickly weighed her options. She decided to go with the truth.
"They remind me that I'll never get to compete internationally again."
Steve saw the sadness pass across her face and he noticed the faint glimmer of tears threatening to spill out over her cheeks. He reached across the table and took her hand gently in his.
"I'm sorry Kono. Chin said it was the hardest thing that ever happened to you. Do you want to talk about it?"
Kono regretfully pulled her hand back and swiped at the tears.
"No, it is what it is. I remember looking down at it as they carried me out of the water. It was all deformed and I knew my career was over before the doctor even said a thing. I just kept lying there in the hospital thinking, what am I going to do now? Chin is the one that made me think about law enforcement. I don't think it would ever have occurred to me, but he knew me so well and knew that I needed some kind of a big challenge to get me back in the game. I had been depressed for a while after it happened. He just showed up at my house one day and said, "Get in the car". He took me to the academy and had me watch the trainees. I was hooked. As soon as I got off my crutches I applied. The rest is history. Only I never expected to have a job before I ever even graduated. Why'd you hire me? I was so inexperienced. I could have been such a burden to the team."
"But you weren't. As soon as I saw you deck that guy, I knew you'd be perfect. He had like four inches and a hundred pounds on you. I was impressed."
Steve looked deeply into her eyes and smiled.
"Still am."
Kono's clothes were still damp and Steve saw her shiver as the sun started to dip down more and the wind picked up.
"Wait here."
Steve went in the house and found a pair of his track shorts that tied with a string and one of his t-shirts. He handed them to Kono and pushed her towards the house to change. When she returned he had to chuckle. They swallowed her literally. The shirt hung to the middle of her thighs and the shorts well they were just ridiculous. Even tying them tightly, they kept falling down as she stood before him. She shrugged and let them fall down to her ankles. Steve's breathing got shallow as he watched her incredible legs emerge. Even with his Seal training he couldn't hide his reaction from her. A smile brought out her amazing dimples.
"I think the t-shirt will suffice until my clothes are dry. I tossed all our stuff in the dryer."
"How are you feeling?"
"Are you kidding? After that dinner, I need to take a long walk."
"Sounds good, but will you be warm enough?"
"Sure. Let's go."
They headed off down the beach and talked about what they liked to do on their days off. They found lots of similarities and Steve was flying high as they turned to start back. He looked over at Kono and saw her shiver a little. He knew it. She was barefoot and only wearing his t-shirt.
"Cold?"
"Maybe a little."
Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. Kono looked startled for a second, but then relaxed into his embrace. He did give off warmth, but she was sure the real warmth came from her heart speeding up. They walked along for a while in silence and then Steve spoke.
"Kono, would you like to do something together tomorrow? It's Sunday and we could take a hike or something."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yeah…or we could ask Danny…or…Chin if you'd rather."
Kono smiled to herself.
"I think I'd like to spend some time with just you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Me too."
Kono stopped abruptly and turned to Steve. He kept his arm on her shoulder.
"Steve, thanks for taking care of me today. You knew exactly what to do and you may have saved me from getting really sick."
"I want to look after you that way Kono, if you'll let me. I know you can kick butt with the best of them, but let me help you sometimes, okay?"
Steve moved his other arm up to her shoulder and clasped his hands together behind her neck. Kono liked the way it made her feel.
"You know when I first started working for you, I was scared of you. When you would get your aneurysm face, I would drift into the background."
"Not you too. I'm not that scary Kono."
"Oh yeah, you are."
"And what about now? Am I scary right now?"
Steve pulled her closer. Kono gulped and shivered involuntarily. Steve pulled her flush against him and slipped one hand to her waist while the other one cupped her cheek. He rubbed his thumb across her cheekbones and traced the dimple that slipped out as she smiled shyly.
"Still scary…in a different way."
Steve started to pull back, but Kono quickly covered the hand that was pressed to her cheek with her own hand.
"Scary in a good way."
"Okay then."
Steve bent his head and pressed his lips softly to hers. As first kisses went, it was amazing. Steve brought his other hand up and now he was holding her face in his hands, fingers wrapping around her neck and thumbs caressing her earlobes. Kono felt herself swaying slightly. Steve laughed and scooped her yet again. She was light as a feather and he quite liked holding her in his arms. He raced back down the beach to his place. Kono slipped her arms around his neck and held on.
"You do know I'm going to kick your butt when you put me back down."
"Good to know. I guess I'll be holding you the rest of the night."
Kono leaned in and kissed Steve back this time. He came to an abrupt stop right then and there. When she pulled back from the kiss Steve chuckled. Kono looked in his eyes with disappointment.
"Was it that bad of a kiss?"
Steve realized how it must have sounded to Kono. He set her down and pulled her into his arms for another heart stopping kiss this time. When he released her he smiled down at her affectionately.
"No, baby, it was an amazing kiss."
"Then why did you laugh?"
"I was wondering if Kamekona would loan us the suit sometime. I was also thinking that every time I kiss you from now on I think I'll have a craving for shaved ice."
Steve took off as Kono chased him the rest of the way home.
Author notes: Ah! Glad I got that out of my system. I think I have a craving for a shaved ice myself or maybe just for Steve. Did I say that?