Title: That's My Girl
Summary: Additional scenes for 3x07, Steve/Kono
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: I'm a few weeks late with this oneshot but it's never too late for Steve/Kono fic, am I right? Plus, how awesome has their screentime been the past few episodes? I feel like I'm dreaming! I'm not going to get used to it but I definitely loved the surprise.
It's always nice to hear from readers so please leave a comment before you exit the window, even those of you lurking. ;) It takes less time for you to leave a few words than it did for you to read the whole piece, I promise.
"Once me and my team, and your friend, drive away, you can come in and collect the hostages. You have twenty minutes."
The call ends and Steve's left looking at Chin, the panic clearly displayed on the lines of the older man's face even as he tries to control his emotions.
"Okay. Let's get a truck here, and do what he says."
"Steve..." Chin begins hesitantly.
"Don't worry, Chin, I got this," he assures the man with a grin. "I told you, we're gonna get her back."
They had to. They'd already let Kono down too many times, and even though nobody ever talks about it, even though she never brings it up and he's never truly apologized, the unspoken words linger in the air when their eyes meet across the room. They've gotten used to it because it's much easier and less painful than returning to the past, but that doesn't mean he doesn't remember, or feel ashamed when the wave of guilt hits him all over again.
It's been so long now that he doesn't even know how to apologize, but he can start by not fucking up again.
"Hey, Boss," Kono says as she enters his office as he's finishing the paperwork for DeSalvo's transfer. "You got a minute?"
"For you, always," he says with a smile as she limps toward him. "I thought I told you to go home though."
She takes a seat in one of the armchairs in his office and puts her leg up on the other chair to elevate her ankle. "I'm going. I need you to order me a new badge though. I gave mine to James," she explains at his puzzled frown.
"Alright, I can do that. But we better not hear about anyone in the family impersonating us," he warns. "That'll come back to bite us in the ass."
"Nah, we're good," she says with a smile. "The parents said they'd keep it safe, as a momento, that's all."
He nods at her assurance. "You okay?" he asks again as he assesses her injuries, a bolt of anger running through him at the sight of the bruise blooming on her cheekbone, the vivid red of it matching her bright shirt.
"Yeah," she says with a quick nod. But he continues to stare as she fidgets in her seat, her fingers tapping the chair handle nervously. She admits with a sigh, "Officer Manuwai. He's still in ICU because of me."
"Hey. Not because of you. Like I told Chin earlier today, you can't put that on yourself. He was doing his job and he knew what he signed up for. You hear me?" Steve tells her, his tone softening as he moves from behind his desk to take the seat next to her. "EMTs rushed him to the hospital as soon as the truck left. Thanks to your quick thinking, they got to him sooner."
"Thanks," she replies with a weak smile. "How's your family reunion going?"
Steve sighs as he sits back, paperwork forgotten as they get lost in conversation. "Hasn't happened yet. Mary checked into a motel. She won't come to the house."
"She needs time. I mean, she did think your mom was dead all these years. That's a lot for her to take in."
"Tell me about it," he mutters, and she chuckles at that.
"She's smart and she'll take the chance to talk when she's finally ready," Kono assures him. "People just have to realize how important that chance is. At the house today..."
"What?" Steve urges when she stops mid-sentence. He nods at her to continue.
"The dad was a mess cause he didn't even talk to Zach when he was released from the detention center. Didn't visit him once. He was mad at the stunt he pulled, and now... the kid's dead," Kono says, shaking her head to herself as she thinks back to the heartbroken parents she'd spent the day with. "And his wife kept telling him that their son knew he loved him, and he didn't have to say it, but... I don't think the father will ever get over it."
"That's a tough regret to live with."
"Yeah," she says, smiling sadly at him as they exchange heavy glances. "Mary'll come around."
"Thanks," he says softly.
"Hey. I thought the boss man told you to go home," Danny calls from Steve's office door, startling them from their quiet conversation. "Get outta here."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," she says as she rises from her seat, wincing again as the weight lands on her ankle. Steve quickly holds out a hand for her, his palm warm as she slips her smaller hand into his. She smiles at him in thanks once she's steady on her feet again, and Danny holds the door open for her as she leaves the office.
"Beer for the kickass rookie," Danny says as he returns from the bar with her drink. "You did good."
"Thanks, brah," Kono says with a smile. "Couldn't have done it without you guys though. Thanks for going all ninja for me, Boss," she says, turning to Steve at her side. "The truck stunt was awesome."
Steve grins proudly. "I know."
Danny just rolls his eyes. "Well, you weren't bad either, Kono, what with taking out three crazy armed rebels in the back of the truck on your own."
"I did help," Chin points out from across the table. "You know, me and my gun. That helped."
"Of course you did, Chin Ho, but gotta give credit where credit's due. That Winston guy was no joke. Plus, not staying in the hospital as advised and coming back to finish the case? We have to warn her that she's been hangin' out with McGarrett too long."
"I learn from the best," Kono says with a grin, holding out her bottle up for Steve to clink his with.
"That's my girl," Steve replies proudly.
"Shouldn't you punch him in the face for a sexist comment like that?" Danny asks her, raising his eyebrows in pretend innocence and not as if he's hoping to start trouble during their round of celebratory drinks.
"I didn't mean my girl," Steve sputters quickly. "You're not anyone's girl. I mean, you're not even a girl. You're a woman. Not that it matters to me-"
"Okay, just stop before you embarrass yourself further," Kono says even as she giggles. "I'll let it go cause I don't want you to go home and tell your mom you got beat up by a girl at work."
Even Chin laughs outright at that. "Oh, she got you there."
Danny high-fives her as he laughs with glee at the comment. "Cause you live with your mother, get it, Steven? Get it? That's why it's funny."
"Do you all laugh about this when I'm not around or something?" Steve asks, looking around the table from one team member to another, trying to appear stern as they continue to grin over his living arrangements.
"Basically," Danny affirms with a nod. "We work in a high-stress environment. We have to take our laughs where we get 'em. And I'll take advantage of the opportunity to point out," he says, turning to Kono and Chin in turn, "that the cause of my high stress is due to him."
"She came back from the dead, Danny, what was I supposed to do? Tell her to find her own apartment?" Steve argues.
"Of course not, babe, that'd be mean. So now you live with your mother. Gotta tell you though, you lose cool points on the Super SEAL scale for that," Danny informs him with a grin of pleasure.
"Yeah, you totally do, Boss," Kono adds. "But don't worry, the truck stunt gave you like, four hundred more points from me."
"You probably have a fucking tally on the computer for this, don't you?" Steve mutters but she only laughs at the accusation. He should run a search for the file, but knowing Danny, he probably had her title it something sneaky. "But at least you appreciate my talents, see?" Steve turns to Danny with emphasis, but his partner only rolls his eyes at the comment. He's been dealing with Steve's crazy stunts for years now; he's not so easily impressed. Easily panicked as ever, but no longer impressed.
They laugh over drinks a little while longer until Kono's phone beeps and distracts her. She reads her new message as she pushes back her chair back and gets up from her seat. "Sorry, guys, but I gotta run. Some friends are taking me clubbing to celebrate me being alive and all."
"And I thought you got all dressed up for us," Chin comments and she shakes her head at him with a smile.
"Didn't you just get taken hostage like, three days ago?" Danny questions in wonder.
"Yeah. So?" Kono asks in confusion, as if how one could possibly relate to the other, as if he's suggesting she do something silly like take it easy or recuperate. She hadn't even stayed at the hospital long enough to let the nurse settle her into bed.
She slips around their table to make her way to the aisle, resting a hand on Steve's shoulder and giving him a quick squeeze of thanks for his kickass rescue tactic. He nods and smiles at her again, understanding what she's saying without having to hear the words out loud.
But there's no need for thanks. It's what he does; it's what he would do for her, and more. He simply needed the opportunity to prove it.
"Bye," she says to them with a wide smile.
"She has friends outside of us?" Danny questions to Chin, his voice low as if he doesn't want the nearby table to hear.
Chin raises an eyebrow. "Yeah. Don't you?"
"Yes, yes, I do. Many, many friends," Danny replies quickly, waving his hands in the air at the audacity of the question. "In fact, Toast asked me how my daughter was doing when I dropped him off at the store after the raid so, that's friendly. Friend-like. We could be considered friends."
Chin snorts. "You have nobody outside of us, do you?"
"I have nobody outside of you guys," Danny declares, his shoulders slumping at the sad revelation. "You know where I had friends outside of work? Where I had a lifeoutside of work? Jersey. Did I tell you about this guy from my old precinct who-"
Steve rolls his eyes and gets ready for another long-winded Jersey story, complete with twice the usual exaggeration and probably three times the usual hand gestures considering how many beers Danny's already had. He can't help wishing Kono had stayed so he'd have someone to roll his eyes with. Chin's here, yes, but his dimpled smile just doesn't affect him the same way hers does.
"I still don't really trust your mother," Danny proclaims as he takes another bite of salad, "but she makes a delicious potato salad, I will give her that."
"Well, join the club," Steve says as he watches his mother and Mary Ann talking quietly at the corner table. Since Mary showed up, they've either been chattering constantly, or regarding each other warily in silence. But they're in the same room together and they're trying; that's a start. "Mary flies back tomorrow so she told me to invite everyone over."
"She's big on the team bonding, isn't she?" Chin muses.
"Well, considering she was absent for however many years, I guess she's trying to make up for it," Steve says with a shrug. "At least she can cook."
"Who's the old guy again?" Chin asks in confusion. "Don't tell me your grandfather's back from the dead too."
Danny chuckles at that. At least the McGarrett family drama provides a few good laughs to somebody.
"Very funny. And, no, that's Morty. My sister's patient. Do they even call him that? I don't know." Steve shakes his head at the whole situation. "She's his caregiver."
"Is there a reason why he's staring down Kono's shirt though?" Chin asks, his voice containing the hint of warning.
Steve looks up quickly from the grill. "The nerve of this guy, seriously. Take over," he says as he hands Chin the tongs. "I'll be back."
"Uh, no, sorry, Morty," Kono's saying with a laugh as Steve comes up behind where she's kneeling next to the old man's wheelchair. "I'm not interested in caregiving, I already have a job."
"Yes, you do, and you kick ass at it," Steve says as he puts his hands on her shoulders, urging her to stand to her full height. "Why don't you you join us at the grill for another hot dog, Kono?" He nods to where he left Chin and Danny responsible for the burgers.
"Um, sure," Kono says with a shrug.
"Sorry, sailor. Didn't realize she was spoken for," Morty apologizes with a knowing look.
"She is. She is very spoken for," Steve tells the older man, his hands unconsciously tightening on Kono's shoulders. "By that guy at the grill who owns more shotguns than even I do."
"Okay, that's another one of those phrases we talked about over drinks the other night," Kono reminds him as he steers her gently away from Morty.
"Well, punch me later. He's an old perv trying to look down your shirt."
"Yeah, I know," Kono says. "'Mary paid me ten bucks to give him a peek."
"What?!" Steve exclaims, his eyes widening as he stops walking and nearly runs into her.
"Just kidding, Boss," Kono says with a chuckle. "Seriously, Mary's right. You're too easy."
"At ease, sailor!" Morty calls out from behind them. Steve winces at the phrase and the guy who's using it.
"Did he just at ease you?" Kono asks in surprise as she bites her lower lip to keep from laughing.
"Yeah, it's been a real problem. Thank god he's leaving tomorrow."
Kono only laughs as he leads her to the grill, his hands still on her shoulders as she flashes her dimples at him through the brilliance of her smile.
See, it's those dimples again. They have the strangest effect on him.