![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ifeelbetterTitle: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ifeelbetter
Disclaimer: I own nothing* of value. (*except an awesome ukulele)
Notes: Forpenguinparity, Danny is Upset by the general non-traditionalness of Hawaiian Christmas.
Danny's holiday malaise was not a bad thing at first. He had covered the office in holiday cheer, it was true, and the tiny red pig with gold wings and an absurd smirk was a little disconcerting when it appeared on Steve's desk, but it wasn't a bad thing. Steve had plenty of holiday cheer and decorating for Christmas was always something he enjoyed (if for no other reason than it was a sort of competition and he made it a point to never back down from any sort of competition and definitely not one where he could show everyone who drove by his house that, yes, he was the best Christmas-er ever) and he liked having Danny on his team in all ways, even in the competition with the world to put on the best display of Holiday-ness.
But it was the other bit--the part where Danny got glum and quiet and would direct gloom at the little gold star with a red bow hanging off his desk-lamp while he tapped it into spinning in melancholy circles--that was the bit Steve didn't like.
"I wish I was in Jersey," Danny said with a sigh. And a pout. Like the degree to which his bottom lip stuck out would make the universe re-arrange itself so that he'd never have to leave the wonderful smogginess of Jersey again.
And that was odd too because he hadn't even seen Steve lean up against the door to his office, he was too absorbed in his own gloom. So he was just telling the little gold star (that Steve had put a little Santa hat on that morning to make Danny cheer up but which was now drooping from the oppressiveness of Danny's massive gloom) how much he wished he was in Jersey. Danny usually waited until someone else was in the room--preferably someone Hawaiian and preferably someone Hawaiian named Steve--at least before he started one of his rants.
"Are you always this gloomy during the holidays?" Steve asked.
Danny just sighed again--which was so very wrong it made Steve make that face, the one Danny had named "Thinking Face"--and sank his cheek into the palm of his hand, propping it up like it would fall over from ennui death without the help.
"There isn't snow," Danny whined. Steve was getting more and more confident using terms like "whine" and "pout" about Danny in his head since Danny stopped yelling at him every five seconds. Steve had always been a "give-him-an-inch.." sort of guy.
"You do realize you're in paradise, right? People spend their Christmas here by choice--loads of people, even," Steve pointed out. Statistics (or facts) had never put a dent in Danny's belief in the wonderfulness of Jersey and its superiority to Hawaii in every particular so Steve wasn't surprised that it didn't inspire any reaction this time.
"No snow, though. It's not Christmas without snow," Danny whined.
"You're telling me it snowed every single year that you were in Jersey," Steve said. "Not a single Christmas in all your seventy years--"
"Fuck you very much," Danny mumbled, still too gloomy to work up a proper rage.
"--of life has been spent not playing in the snow?"
"That's what I'm saying." Danny tapped the gold star again and the Santa hat slid sadly onto his desk.
"I can get you snow," Steve said. It was a challenge, right? A Christmas challenge. Danny was telling him that he wasn't the best Christmas-er ever and that would not stand.
And if Danny looked hopeful when he scoffed (adorably because he was still propping himself up on the desk so the scoff turned into a full-body demi-spasm of alleged disbelief), Steve took it as Extra Challenge.
It took three conferences with Kono and Chin, an undercover op where Steve pretended to be a food inspector and shut down a meat-packing plant, bribing six government officials, and a snow machine but Steve was the Best Christmas-er Ever (Kono promised to make him a certificate and she probably wasn't joking and he probably didn't make the Face of Elation when she suggested it) and he could do anything.
Including kidnapping Danny on his way to get a coffee that afternoon, blindfolding and gagging him, and carrying him over his shoulder into the converted factory.
"You are insane and I am going to kill your face," Danny spluttered when he realized who had kidnapped him, "And I am going to have so many words with you about the proper ways to surprise someone."
Steve shrugged. He was going to have a certificate soon and then that would show Danny.
"Merry Christmas, dude," he said instead, gesturing to the rest of the room.
It was kind of amazing to watch Danny realize what the surprise actually was. Steve didn't make a big deal out of naming Danny's faces--that was weird but Steve allowed Danny his quirks, you know?--but he hadn't seen this particular one in circulation before. At least, not directed at anyone but Gracie and even then only that one time, when he'd got her back from the threat of revoked custody. It was sort of a great face. Maybe even Steve's favorite.
It made him reconsider his status as Best Christmas-er Ever because he'd done the hard work and all but it was Danny's face, right then, that made the room awesome.
The whole room was covered in a delicate layer of snow and Chin had rigged the air vents to keep a gentle flutter going, dusting their hair and eyelashes. And Kono had helped Steve steal an actual evergreen from a cargo ship--with roots and everything--and they'd planted it (sort of) in the middle of the room. No decorations, nothing tacky, just the tree and the snow. And Kono and Chin were looking dismayed at Steve (he'd told them he was going to get Danny there, he didn't know why this was a surprise to them) with their red noses and puffy coats. Kono had one for Danny too and Steve had put a pair of wool mittens in the pockets because he knew about Danny's aversion to cold fingers.
Danny shrugged on the coat and gave Kono and Chin the tightest hugs Steve had ever been immediately, absurdly jealous of (Steve was the Best Christmas-er Ever, alright, it was an important point) and then, twinkle in his eye, he lobbed a snowball at Steve.
Which is how they got embroiled in snow warfare (Chin was on Danny's team--somehow automatically? despite knowing Steve so very much longer--but that was fine because Kono cheated and was awesome) that only ended when they were exhausted and soaked through and panting on the floor.
Steve was pretty sure his team won.
"Winners," he told Kono. Her head was somewhere near his hair so he could feel her huff of laughter.
"You know it," she said and held up a hand for a hi-five. They were both too exhausted to make it anything more than a light tap.
"Cheaters," Danny said from somewhere near Steve's armpit. He was out of breath or he probably would have gone into more detail.
"Winners," Steve repeated, grinning.
"There's hot chocolate in the thermos," Chin said, diplomatically changing the subject. He had his head on Kono's stomach and an arm across Danny's throat.
"You guys..." Danny started to say in his serious voice, "I don't even know. You're...you're the best."
Steve didn't like how close this was to being a Hallmark moment so he sat up.
"Hot chocolate, you say?" he said. Chin nodded. Kono's legs were mixed up with Steve's and Chin laughed while he tried to disentangle himself (with no help from Kono at all, she just laughed).
"I can get it," Chin said finally and offered Kono a hand when he stood.
She had no trouble getting disentangled from Steve. Then she stuck out her tongue at him.
Danny was still on the ground and still making the serious face, like he wanted to talk about feelings or something.
"Seriously, Steve," he said.
Steve had to make Thinking Face at Danny to get him to stop talking.
"You're worth it, man," Steve said, sinking back down to the floor. "You're worth much, much more."
Danny shifted slightly until he was sort of packed into Steve's side and it would have been awkward for Steve not to put his arm around Danny, right, so he did.
The kiss he pressed into Danny's forehead, though. He didn't have so much of an excuse for that.
But Danny didn't complain. He just made that face some more and Steve couldn't have asked for more, not even if he really tried.
Author:
ifeelbetterDisclaimer: I own nothing* of value. (*except an awesome ukulele)
Notes: For
penguinparity, Danny is Upset by the general non-traditionalness of Hawaiian Christmas.Danny's holiday malaise was not a bad thing at first. He had covered the office in holiday cheer, it was true, and the tiny red pig with gold wings and an absurd smirk was a little disconcerting when it appeared on Steve's desk, but it wasn't a bad thing. Steve had plenty of holiday cheer and decorating for Christmas was always something he enjoyed (if for no other reason than it was a sort of competition and he made it a point to never back down from any sort of competition and definitely not one where he could show everyone who drove by his house that, yes, he was the best Christmas-er ever) and he liked having Danny on his team in all ways, even in the competition with the world to put on the best display of Holiday-ness.
But it was the other bit--the part where Danny got glum and quiet and would direct gloom at the little gold star with a red bow hanging off his desk-lamp while he tapped it into spinning in melancholy circles--that was the bit Steve didn't like.
"I wish I was in Jersey," Danny said with a sigh. And a pout. Like the degree to which his bottom lip stuck out would make the universe re-arrange itself so that he'd never have to leave the wonderful smogginess of Jersey again.
And that was odd too because he hadn't even seen Steve lean up against the door to his office, he was too absorbed in his own gloom. So he was just telling the little gold star (that Steve had put a little Santa hat on that morning to make Danny cheer up but which was now drooping from the oppressiveness of Danny's massive gloom) how much he wished he was in Jersey. Danny usually waited until someone else was in the room--preferably someone Hawaiian and preferably someone Hawaiian named Steve--at least before he started one of his rants.
"Are you always this gloomy during the holidays?" Steve asked.
Danny just sighed again--which was so very wrong it made Steve make that face, the one Danny had named "Thinking Face"--and sank his cheek into the palm of his hand, propping it up like it would fall over from ennui death without the help.
"There isn't snow," Danny whined. Steve was getting more and more confident using terms like "whine" and "pout" about Danny in his head since Danny stopped yelling at him every five seconds. Steve had always been a "give-him-an-inch.." sort of guy.
"You do realize you're in paradise, right? People spend their Christmas here by choice--loads of people, even," Steve pointed out. Statistics (or facts) had never put a dent in Danny's belief in the wonderfulness of Jersey and its superiority to Hawaii in every particular so Steve wasn't surprised that it didn't inspire any reaction this time.
"No snow, though. It's not Christmas without snow," Danny whined.
"You're telling me it snowed every single year that you were in Jersey," Steve said. "Not a single Christmas in all your seventy years--"
"Fuck you very much," Danny mumbled, still too gloomy to work up a proper rage.
"--of life has been spent not playing in the snow?"
"That's what I'm saying." Danny tapped the gold star again and the Santa hat slid sadly onto his desk.
"I can get you snow," Steve said. It was a challenge, right? A Christmas challenge. Danny was telling him that he wasn't the best Christmas-er ever and that would not stand.
And if Danny looked hopeful when he scoffed (adorably because he was still propping himself up on the desk so the scoff turned into a full-body demi-spasm of alleged disbelief), Steve took it as Extra Challenge.
It took three conferences with Kono and Chin, an undercover op where Steve pretended to be a food inspector and shut down a meat-packing plant, bribing six government officials, and a snow machine but Steve was the Best Christmas-er Ever (Kono promised to make him a certificate and she probably wasn't joking and he probably didn't make the Face of Elation when she suggested it) and he could do anything.
Including kidnapping Danny on his way to get a coffee that afternoon, blindfolding and gagging him, and carrying him over his shoulder into the converted factory.
"You are insane and I am going to kill your face," Danny spluttered when he realized who had kidnapped him, "And I am going to have so many words with you about the proper ways to surprise someone."
Steve shrugged. He was going to have a certificate soon and then that would show Danny.
"Merry Christmas, dude," he said instead, gesturing to the rest of the room.
It was kind of amazing to watch Danny realize what the surprise actually was. Steve didn't make a big deal out of naming Danny's faces--that was weird but Steve allowed Danny his quirks, you know?--but he hadn't seen this particular one in circulation before. At least, not directed at anyone but Gracie and even then only that one time, when he'd got her back from the threat of revoked custody. It was sort of a great face. Maybe even Steve's favorite.
It made him reconsider his status as Best Christmas-er Ever because he'd done the hard work and all but it was Danny's face, right then, that made the room awesome.
The whole room was covered in a delicate layer of snow and Chin had rigged the air vents to keep a gentle flutter going, dusting their hair and eyelashes. And Kono had helped Steve steal an actual evergreen from a cargo ship--with roots and everything--and they'd planted it (sort of) in the middle of the room. No decorations, nothing tacky, just the tree and the snow. And Kono and Chin were looking dismayed at Steve (he'd told them he was going to get Danny there, he didn't know why this was a surprise to them) with their red noses and puffy coats. Kono had one for Danny too and Steve had put a pair of wool mittens in the pockets because he knew about Danny's aversion to cold fingers.
Danny shrugged on the coat and gave Kono and Chin the tightest hugs Steve had ever been immediately, absurdly jealous of (Steve was the Best Christmas-er Ever, alright, it was an important point) and then, twinkle in his eye, he lobbed a snowball at Steve.
Which is how they got embroiled in snow warfare (Chin was on Danny's team--somehow automatically? despite knowing Steve so very much longer--but that was fine because Kono cheated and was awesome) that only ended when they were exhausted and soaked through and panting on the floor.
Steve was pretty sure his team won.
"Winners," he told Kono. Her head was somewhere near his hair so he could feel her huff of laughter.
"You know it," she said and held up a hand for a hi-five. They were both too exhausted to make it anything more than a light tap.
"Cheaters," Danny said from somewhere near Steve's armpit. He was out of breath or he probably would have gone into more detail.
"Winners," Steve repeated, grinning.
"There's hot chocolate in the thermos," Chin said, diplomatically changing the subject. He had his head on Kono's stomach and an arm across Danny's throat.
"You guys..." Danny started to say in his serious voice, "I don't even know. You're...you're the best."
Steve didn't like how close this was to being a Hallmark moment so he sat up.
"Hot chocolate, you say?" he said. Chin nodded. Kono's legs were mixed up with Steve's and Chin laughed while he tried to disentangle himself (with no help from Kono at all, she just laughed).
"I can get it," Chin said finally and offered Kono a hand when he stood.
She had no trouble getting disentangled from Steve. Then she stuck out her tongue at him.
Danny was still on the ground and still making the serious face, like he wanted to talk about feelings or something.
"Seriously, Steve," he said.
Steve had to make Thinking Face at Danny to get him to stop talking.
"You're worth it, man," Steve said, sinking back down to the floor. "You're worth much, much more."
Danny shifted slightly until he was sort of packed into Steve's side and it would have been awkward for Steve not to put his arm around Danny, right, so he did.
The kiss he pressed into Danny's forehead, though. He didn't have so much of an excuse for that.
But Danny didn't complain. He just made that face some more and Steve couldn't have asked for more, not even if he really tried.
