A/N: I wanted to play with a dialogue-only fic, and one of the textbook symptoms of an adrenaline comedown is irritability. From those two seeds, I ended up with this.

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3. Democracy

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"You know I'm going to vote for Chinese. I always vote for Chinese. I mean, unless you want to get pizza from the one place on this island that makes decent pizza."

"If those are the options, I'm going with Chinese. Hey, Chin, what do you say?"

"Chinese works for me."

"The ayes have it. Chinese it is."

"You didn't get McGarrett's vote."

"He's outvoted anyway."

"Hey, yeah, he's outvoted anyway. Take that, Steven."


"Hey, boss. Chinese, ordering in, what do you want?"

"What?"

"We're getting dinner to see us through the paperwork piles. Chinese."

"We should get pizza."

"Too late. The vote was unanimous."

"Not if I vote for pizza."

"Okay, the vote is three to one in favor of Chinese."

"I can't eat MSG, Kono."

"Danny mentioned that. He found a place with non-MSG options. See, here's the menu—this whole section is—"

"No."

"… No, what?"

"No, I don't want Chinese."

"Well, that's what we're getting."

"Fine."

"Um, fine?"

"I'm not that hungry anyway, and I'm busy. Go on, get what you want."


"Go ahead and phone it in, cuz."

"Did you get McGarrett's order?"

"He said he's not hungry."

"He's not—okay, that's literally impossible, because I know for a fact he skipped lunch to interview the victim's family and then we got stuck in that traffic backup, and he has a metabolism like a two-hundred-pound hummingbird."

"Thanks, Danny. I'll never see Steve McGarrett the same way again."

"Look, all I know is, he told me he didn't want anything."

"Didn't want anything? Or didn't want Chinese?"

"Well, both, when I made it clear we weren't ordering pizza."

"The jerk. Let him sit in there listening to his stomach growl then."


"He still hasn't come out."

"Do I look like I care? No? That would be because I don't. Here, try some of this, it's delicious."

"I just think he should eat something."

"Kono, listen to me, okay? Super-SEAL has a deep and abiding love for protein. Soon protein will draw him out of his office with her siren song, and he will come over here and eat."

"I got an order without MSG, just in case."

"Well, that was more kindness than he deserves at the moment. In a little while, he'll appreciate it."

"I think he's upset with me."

"And you're worried?"

"No, I'm pissed at him for being stupid."

"Ah. Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah, but he's not upset with you."

"What's his problem then?"

"Long day, no lunch, foot chase for a couple miles in the hottest part of the afternoon, some parkour-wannabe stunts from rooftop to rooftop, and about an hour when we thought that guy had taken an eleven-year-old hostage."

"Oh …"

"Yeah."

"I didn't notice his hands shaking."

"Did you actually see his hands when you went into his office?"

"Ah, no. He had a file, was holding it spread open."

"Bingo."

"It's been hours, though. I mean, normally he's leveled out by now."

"Normally he's eaten something. But he's okay, just, you know, post-adrenaline peevish."

"About dinner?"

"Well, he's a control freak and we denied him pizza."

"Hm. Solid points."

"I make them all the time."


"Hey, guys."

"Hey, boss."

"I … uh, is there … anything left?"

"I put yours in the fridge. MSG-free, broccoli chicken and brown rice."

"Oh. Really?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Kono. Look, I … I snapped. Earlier."

"Yes, you did."

"And you got me food anyway?"

"You looked hungry."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Hey … this is pretty good."