They're aaaalmost back together...
/././
Danny uses his badge to get waived through security. Which earns him many an evil eye. He puts on his tough guy mask. Because it's easier than what he's feeling. Confusion, anxiety, butterflies, longing, joy, excitement. He's a cauldron of emotions. Worse than normal. It's Steve. Of course he's a total mess. But you'd never know. His stance and strut - he's got a swagger he pulls out when he really needs to cover his vulnerability.
He finds an arrivals board and scans for Steve's flight. He has about 30 minutes to wait. He decides against sitting. His body wants to move. To burn off his whirl of energy. So he paces by a window, watching the airplanes come and go. The hum of humanity and machines settles him somehow.
"Sir?" A young man interrupts his meditation.
Danny stops pacing and says, "Yes?"
For a split second, he worries. Something bad has happened. Guest services approaching him can mean a myriad of things. He hates that his mind automatically jumps to the most horrible option. His gaze drifts to the kid's name badge. Most likely not his given name, but it feels friendly and disarms Danny. Which is probably the point.
"Hello, Detective Williams, my name is Teddie. I'm with guest services, sir. You have a phone call."
"Me? A call?" Danny answers. He's confused and curious. No one knew he was at the airport. Only Steve knew. The giant idiot showoff.
"Yes, sir. I believe it's from a flight." The concierge remains nonchalant. People with more money than God move through this airport all the time. Phone calls from flights aren't unusual.
Danny acts cool. Like this happens to him every day. Steve is pulling strings. Danny would be furious if he didn't love it. He misses the man too much to complain.
"You're Detective Williams from Five-0, right?"
"Yes, that's me," Danny replies with a smile.
Teddie returns the smile and says, "Come with me, sir."
Danny cringes at the courtesy. He doesn't feel like a sir today. He feels like a character in one of those movies Grace loves. He shakes off these thoughts.
"You can stop with the sir."
"Yes, ssss – Detective Williams. Right this way."
Danny follows the young man through a nondescript door and down a hallway. The air is cool, and the lighting is dim. Behind the scenes at the airport is very practical and stripped down. Danny's been back here for cases, but not for years. Like many other businesses, the inner workings lack luster. He feels like he needs a hall pass.
Teddie slows down and turns into a small lounge. Danny scans the room and wanders if it's a breakroom. The lighting is dim, and the couch looks comfy. His body responds by feeling like lead. He's been on his feet all day.
"Here, ya go."
A phone is handed to him. He holds it to his ear and takes a breath. He doesn't notice Teddie melt into the background. Before Danny can say a word, a familiar voice practically purrs.
"Stop pacing, partner."
Partner. Danny can't breathe for a few seconds. Then, he hardens and pretends to be annoyed.
"How do you know I'm pacing, Steven?"
"I know you."
Danny closes his eyes. He's missed this. His chest tightens. He's too overcome to reply. He dabs his eyes with the back of his hand. He wants to make a quip about what Steve's wearing, but he can't speak.
Steve continues, "I can hear it in your voice."
"You know someone on the plane, right?"
Steve laughs, but doesn't answer.
"Show off," Danny says.
"It's good to hear your voice again, buddy."
Danny nods. He sighs. Now he really can't speak. Doesn't matter that they just talked to one another the previous day.
"Gotta go. See you soon, Danno."
Steve is gone, but he's so close. Somewhere up there. Danny looks at the ceiling. Acoustic tiles, broken and uneven in spots. Danny will feel better when Steve is on the ground. In his arms. What? Where did that thought come from? Their banter about sharing a bed had been a joke. Or was it?
Danny thanks the young man and finds his way back out to the main terminal. He wanders toward the appropriate gate. Happy people pass him wearing colorful flowers. He gets an idea. Spotting a vendor, he zeroes in on the perfect lei.
Red and orange with green leaves. A bold, bright choice, he's told. Danny pays and heads for Steve's gate. He can never remember the names or the meanings of the flowers. But he loves them. They've become part of the fabric of his life. He wants to keep the gesture lowkey, though he knows how important this will be to Steve.
/././
Steve hands the phone back to the flight attendant. She somehow knows he's been gone for a few months. Danny must have told her. He takes this flight often when he visits family. Hawaii is a small town in some ways. Steve tears up. He's almost home.
He appreciates this privilege of his former life. People know him as head of Five-0. Even now months after he walked away. Looking out on his home, this island. So beautiful and peaceful from the clouds. So innocent. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He's so close to home. To peace. Danny is down there waiting.
His head throbs just above his right eye. He presses his palm into his eye. He hopes no one notices his agony. He smiles and offers his thanks, says it's good to be home. Then he excuses himself. He's thrown off balance by the emotional turbulence and his headache.
He takes his seat and checks his watch. They should be on the ground in 10 min. Another 30, and he'll be back where he belongs. At Danny's side.
Danny will make it all okay. Steve feels selfish in that moment. It's all he can think about. He's come back to the place he'd run from - a circle. This time, he has someone waiting for him.
He could have come home a few times before his father was killed. It's tough to admit that he let his anger and resentment keep him away from Hawaii. He could have just asked to dad to explain. They'd built a wall over the years.
Would he have come back if his father hadn't been murdered? Hell, he might have kept on working if Danny had saved his dad. Steve still remembered his hallucination. What a dream. He'd wanted it to be true for a ridiculous amount of time. He even harbored a secret resentment at Danny. Which was just nuts.
He won't do to Danny what Doris did to his dad. He won't keep him waiting, make him wonder if he's okay.
Fastening his seat belt, he straps in as the overhead signs ding their warning. He hears the grumbling of the people around him for the first time. Steve doesn't want to look at them. He doesn't want to remember them. This flight is a means to an end. He wants to get home. He's not a tourist. He doesn't have a mission. Maybe he does, but Danny hates being called a mission.
Steve stops this train of thought. Would he be coming home if his headaches weren't causing problems? He's spent months away. He hasn't worked since he left Five-0. He's been wandering the mainland. He made it to Jersey, but didn't stay long. The place reminded him too much of Danny. There was no getting around it. The beach. Danny. Disco fries. Danny. The accent. Danny. The music. Danny. All roads lead to Danny.
He looks out his window, and what he sees tugs at his heart in ways he never thought possible. Oahu. Waikiki. The coastline and blue water. The green and even the lines of hotels and strips of roads. All of it. He'd picked this side of the plane so he could see Honolulu. Maybe he is a tourist. This place had only become home again because of the team Danny.
How could he have left Danny?
His eyes twitch and his sinuses pinch. He doesn't want to cry. He already has a monster headache. And the pressure change as they descend to prepare for landing make him want to scream. He'd read that he should avoid air travel. He worries his brain might not handle the stress. It feels like his head might explode. He closes his eyes and practices his favorite breathing technique. He breaths in for 4, then holds for 7 and exhales deeply for a count of 8. He lets go of the armrest. A tight grip won't help him. He can't hold this anxiety in.
He will make it up to Danny. Until the day he dies. Old and grouchy on the beach in their chairs. Steve closes his eyes and relaxes.
