A/N: Thanks for joining me. Bear in mind, I began to get a little frustrated with writing this installment after a while, and as a result there are more minor time jumps than there have been in the past two installments. As always, I have the whole thing finished in a first draft, so I will mostly be updating daily.
Oh, and once again, you probably don't need to have read the others in this series, but it would be better if you had. They're called Intimacy and Judgement and all three are part of the A Two Way Street series.
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un·con·ven·tion·al
adjective
not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality: an unconventional artist; an unconventional use of material.
Synonyms
eccentric, individualistic, idiosyncratic, atypical, McDanno.
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It's two months since Steve and Danny returned from Jersey, and their relationship has made it to four months with no signs of deterioration.
It's a Wednesday night and Steve pauses, paintbrush in hand to watch Danny as he carries in a chair from the landing. It's the last piece of furniture to be brought in, and Danny looks up with a frown as he feels Steve's gaze. Steve gives a sly grin, and all of the creases on Danny's face smooth out as he returns the expression with a glint in his eyes.
Feeling mischievous, Steve lifts the paintbrush slowly, distracting Danny with his lips until the blond jolts away at the touch of the brush on his face. But it's too late, because as Danny lifts a hand to wipe away the paint, his face trying hard to stay angry, Steve breaks into a satisfied grin. Danny wipes his cheek, only to leave a smear bigger than it had started, and Steve lets out a loud laugh.
The detective can't help but smile just a little bit as he storms out of the room. Steve catches it, "Going for a shower?"
"Shut up," is all the response he gets, but he can hear the smile in Danny's voice.
Steve looks around the room, thoroughly content. He and Danny had promised Grace a new room the day they had returned to Hawaii, but a painfully heavy work load over the last two months had prevented anything from being done, and Steve was adamant that receiving a new room all at once is much better than getting it in dribs and drabs. So this week, he and Danny had been making the most of online shopping and scheduled delivery, recruiting Kamekona to help out a little with the painting. And now, the room is pretty much finished, with Danny set to pick up Grace from school on Friday.
Steve presses the lid back onto the paint tin and takes the brush with him as he heads downstairs to clean up.
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By the time Danny is out of the shower, Steve has finished with what he's doing, and he waits patiently on the sofa with a ring box tucked into his pocket. Steve has been thinking about this for a while; in fact, he's had the ring for at least a couple of weeks – but it wasn't until today that he realised he's ready to do it.
Steve himself isn't even that obsessed with the idea of marrying Danny. Because yes; he loves the man and his daughter dearly, and yes; he wants them with him for the rest of his life. But the idea has never really appealed to him. He's not sure he can even really explain why. He probably wouldn't have even thought of proposing if not for Danny; the man has been married before, and he's a hopeless romantic, so Steve figures it's what he wants. But anyway, spending this last week with Danny and decorating a room of their house for his daughter has made him realise that now is as good a time as any.
And so Steve subconsciously taps a hand to the pocket of his pants to make sure the box is still there, and he pushes himself up as he hears Danny coming down the stairs. Steve takes a couple of strides over to him and takes a hold of his hand, pointing towards the back door, "Walk with me?" Danny's aversion to the beach has made mysterious improvements, and whilst the sound of the sea bothered him when he first started staying here, the soft crash of the waves at night has turned out to be something of a comfort. And as for spending time on the beach; well, if he's with Grace or Steve, he can sit there all day.
Danny gives one nod and doesn't bother with shoes as he lets himself be pulled out of the back door by Steve, walking towards the water until they reach the sand's ridge. They walk along the shore for a good ten minutes before Steve is finally able to muster enough courage to proceed; he's not usually one to get sentimental, but things like this make him a little uncomfortable…even if it is Danny. Just to be sure, he taps his pocket again, and as he pulls Danny to a halt, he slips his hand inside the material. "Hey Danno," he says softly.
Danny turns to him with a slightly bemused expression, sensing the rare shake to his partner's voice. "Yeah…?"
Steve clears his throat and looks out to sea uncomfortably. He drops Danny's hand, and pulls his other one out of his pocket, the small velvet box clasped firmly in his fingers. He's thought about how he wants to do this, and he did consider getting down on one knee. But everything about their relationship is so unconventional, that following the cliché seemed…wrong.
So instead, gathering his nerves and looking at Danny, he slowly holds his hands in front of him and pops open the box. Danny stares at him for a moment, and Steve doesn't fail to notice how his immobile hands twitch at his sides. Steve takes a deep breath, swallows, and says, "Will you marry me?" He knows that technically…legally it's the wrong word for it, but he figures the premise is the same. Steve brushes his hand to his nose, and he's glad that there is no one else on the darkened beach to witness this. He watches Danny's face closely as a multitude of emotions flicker across it; none of which he can identify.
Danny wipes a hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief; Steve-fucking-McGarrett, standing in front of him, holding a ring and proposing. Danny shakes his head, looks back up to Steve's eyes with a look that he wills to convey something between love and an apology. "No."
A/N: So, what does everyone think so far? I promise I will update tomorrow, probably earlier than usual. Don't worry, this will be happy again by next chapter :)