Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are not owned by me.
"Uncle Steve!" Charlie yelled, abandoning his sand castle and racing up toward the house. "Danno said I could ask if you would take me swimming!" The boy slammed into his uncle's legs, hugging him tight and looking up at him. "Please? Will you please take me swimming, Uncle Steve?"
"Sure, buddy," Steve smiled. "You good here?" he asked Callie.
"Of course," Callie said, rising on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, which he acquiesced to but then deepened. He finished by giving her another light peck on the lips and a wink, then turned his attention back to Charlie.
"I'll race you to the ocean, Uncle Steve!" Charlie shouted as he took off toward the ocean. Steve laughed and pulled off his t-shirt, revealing tanned skin and hard abs. He gave Charlie a pretty good headstart before taking off after him.
Danny heard Callie sigh softly in appreciation. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "I heard that, Callie," he said. "I swear, you two are worse than teenagers."
Callie smirked. "Jealous, Danno? Because, let me tell you, what we're doing is so much better than anything I ever did as a teenager."
Tani and Junior grinned as Danny's mouth opened and closed multiple times before he finally clamped it shut, not knowing how to respond. Tani was liking Callie more and more.
Steve reached the water at the same time as Charlie, scooping him up and carrying him further in before dropping him gently with a splash. Charlie's squeals and giggles made everyone smile as they watched. Lou's kids and Grace moved closer to the pair. Steve was like a magnet. People—kids, teens, adults, everyone—wanted to be around him. Danny watched his partner play with the kids and smiled. Steve was tough—a Navy SEAL through and through—but he was nothing but a big softie for those he loved. Steve's heart was huge, and his compassion and empathy for others ran deep. The adults watched the group in the water splash and swim, the sound of laughter traveling up the beach.
"I don't understand," Renee said, shaking her head. "He always has so much more energy than you, Lou. What gives?"
Lou looked back at her. "Well, darling, I'm going to go with size difference, work out schedule, and genetics, but I could be wrong."
"Don't forget work ethic," Danny said from where he was lying on a lounge chair, sipping his beer. "He doesn't know what it means to be lazy. No reason in the world for someone to run two miles and swim five every day."
"Actually, sir, I'm fairly certain it's run five and swim eight," Junior interjected. "At least it was the last time I was asked to join him. I can't keep his pace, especially swimming. I haven't been asked again."
Callie snorted. "That makes two of us."
"Bless him," Lou said, propping his feet up in a chair and leaning back. "He's missing out on the finer things in life."
Renee scoffed. "If missing out on the finer things in life let you have abs like that, it might just be worth it. Instead, the finer things in life have allowed your abs to be hidden for years."
"You wound me," Lou said, clutching his chest and feigning hurt. Then, "Hey! Are you looking at McGarrett's abs?"
"Eh," Danny waved his hand lazily. "It's all overrated. The abs, the energy, the working out. Overrated."
"Hm," Callie said noncommittally from where she was lying on a towel in the sun. She was wearing a black bikini and aviator sunglasses with her hair tucked into a baseball cap.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Danny asked.
"What?" Callie asked.
"Your 'hm,' Cal," Danny replied. "You obviously had a thought."
"That I did." Callie was the picture of nonchalance, still lying perfectly still.
"So? Share."
"Nah."
Danny huffed loudly and Lou grinned. McGarrett's girl could rile Williams up almost as good as McGarrett could.
"You know what? I don't even care. I don't even care what you were thinking. I don't want to know your opinion. Your opinion doesn't even matter anyway." He was on the edge of his chair then, arms flailing about. "And, just so you know, the stress consultant I hired asked about your sex life." Danny smiled smugly.
"My sex life?" Callie asked, uninterested.
"Well, his, but you know. And he lied." There was the smugness again.
Callie sighed. "Danny, I am afraid to ask how you know he lied. Or why you think he lied. Or why you're even thinking about this in the first place."
"I know he lied because it's just not true."
Callie snorted. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"I've been in relationships, Callie. I know."
Callie sat up then. "Danny, are you really a) having this conversation with me, and b) having this conversation with me in front of these people? Because Steve's going to kill you for both, you know. And have no doubt, I will tell him all about it. But if you really want to do this, I'm game. First, and you should know this by now, I do not have a shy bone in my body. Second, I have no doubt that I can wipe that smug-ass look off your face in two seconds flat."
The others watched the exchange in amusement.
Danny straightened up. "Fine."
"Fine," Callie retorted. She turned to Tani with a smile. "Tani, I am normally not the girl who talks about things like this, but, you see, Danny here thinks he knows something that I guarantee he knows nothing about and I simply can't let this go unchallenged." She made a face at Danny, causing the group to laugh. "But you are our guest and if this makes you uncomfortable in the least, I will shut it down right now and wait to take my victory later."
Tani laughed. If anything, this was making her feel….accepted. Trusted. Normal. Part of the group. She felt like they were becoming a bit more human to her. Not to mention the fact that they were all adults and knew perfectly well what went on behind closed doors. "Oh, no. I can't miss this."
Callie pulled off her aviators, tossing them on the towel and leaning back on her palms casually, crossing her legs at her ankles in front of her. "Alright then, Danno. Let's hear it. What lie did Steve tell the stress consultant about our sex life?" She grinned at him cheekily, knowing this would be good.
"He said," Danny stopped, suddenly a little nervous about the conversation he was having with his partner's fiancée. "He said you had, uh, relations five times a week."
It took everything in Callie to school her features into a concerned, somber look. "Oh. Oh my. I see what you mean, Danny. That is a lie."
"See! Told you so! Told you I knew it couldn't be true—"
Callie looked at him innocently, but Junior and Tani caught the humorous glint in her eye letting them know she was going in for the kill. They grinned at each other. "Oh, you're right. It's not true. It's way more than five."
"I knew I was—wait. What?" Danny stopped short. "What?"
"I'd probably guess closer to ten, give or take, depending on the week. We don't really count, but I guess if you need us to start, we could. So, what day of the week would you like that report, Danno?" She smiled sweetly, then frowned. "Oh, but that's just different times of the day…not, say, rounds, if you will. Should I count those separately?" She blinked at him, tilting her head slightly.
"He—you—how," Danny stammered.
Callie stood up then, replacing her sunglasses on her face. She leaned down and put her hand against Danny's cheek, patting lightly. "See Danno? That energy and all that working out? So not overrated."
With that, she turned on her heel and headed toward Steve and the ocean, smiling at the roars of laughter she heard behind her.