Gone Camping

[super_seal]

WHO: Steve McGarrett
WHERE: North West of 7I Village
WHEN: End of June
OPEN TO: Mary McGarrett and Danny Williams
WARNINGS: None yet

It had become striking clear to Steve how fortunate they were in the villages when he’d been transported to the middle of nowhere with nothing. While they didn’t have all the modern conveniences they did at home, they could still be far worse off. For himself, it wasn’t that big of a problem. Being a Navy SEAL, Steve was more than familiar with wilderness survival and making due with his surroundings. But when he considered how Mary or Danny would fair out there on their own… If it was in the city, they’d likely manage better than he, but in the wilderness, he didn’t like their odds.

So once he returned he started dropping hints about spending a couple of nights away from the villages. Camping, although he hadn’t planned on taking any supplies. Subtle at first, if you could ever call Steve subtle, and then more direct as time went on. He was more than pleased when they both agreed.

Knowing how that yes could quickly change to a no, he negotiated on the supplies. Finally agreeing to the bare minimum - such as a tent, sleeping bags, water, a bit of food, and the tools to hunt for more. He didn’t want to make the experience a negative one, but rather one they all enjoyed and with any luck gained a better ability on how to survive without supplies.

Comments

[super_seal]

Baiting his line before casting it out once more, he thinks about that for a moment. "You know, that wouldn't have been the first time. I'm a SEAL, Danny, we're trained to swim in shark infested waters."

He's trying to be reassuring as he can hear that 'something' in Danny's voice, even if he's not fully sure as to why it's there or what it is. Concern? Maybe... The idea that Danny was concerned for him warms him and he can't help but smile.

[dann_0]

"Yeah but this is different. You don't have a weapon or anything. Heck, you don't have a team with you." Danny shakes his head. Yeah, it was concern. Of course, he was concerned for Steve, his best friend and partner. "Just to make it better when we do get on a boat, the motor is dead and there is a dead body there."

[super_seal]

Steve turns to look at him, his voice sincere. "I had you with me, Danny. That's all I needed."

Face pulling into a frown as he takes in the rest of the story, Steve faces back out to the water again. "Let me get this straight... The first time I get you out on the water to go fishing, we get boat-jacked, end up in a sinking boat, swim with sharks, then find another boat but the motor is dead and there's a dead body on-board? I can't decide if we are extremely lucky or just flat out cursed!"

There's a pause and he looks curious and slightly amused back at Danny. "Did we ever go out again?"

[dann_0]

Danny shakes his head. "Nope. And I am not going out with you again after that." Never mind that they are fishing now, then again that is different than this, here they are standing on land. Also, they might never get home. That sours his mood some and he sighs.

Then he thinks about what Steve said first and he blinks. "Are you saying I make up for a whole team of SEALs? Can I get that in writing?"

[super_seal]

The pout that crosses his features is one he can't help. It's disappointing to hear that Danny feels so strongly about spending time out on the water with him. He knows it's not all him, that his partner came to Hawaii with a distinct dislike of the ocean, but for him, a man who's spent most of his life on or near the water, he can't think of any better place to be - and to share that with his favorite person... With a soft sigh he pushes away those thoughts. Just because they can't be on the water together, doesn't mean they can't have the next best thing - being on land near the water together. He plans to enjoy this as much as he possibly can.

Steve smiles and turns back to his partner at the question. For a moment he thinks about making a joke about it, but he can't do that. Not right now. Not after arriving here and realizing that he may have lost out on letting Danny know how much he really means to him... Not that he thinks he's ready or able to go all the way either, at least not yet, but this is something Danny should never question. "I did that already, Danno. The day that we met and it's not a decision I've ever regretted."

[dann_0]

Danny looks away when he sees that pout. He knows Steve loves the water, heck that is why he has agreed to go out fishing with him in the first place. "We do go surfing a lot though." Hopefully that will make Steve feel better.

The next bit stuns him and he just stares at Steve for a long moment. "You serious about that Steve?" He swallows and then shakes his head. Then he licks his lips. "I'm glad you're here with me." He'd feel lost without Steve and if they are being brutally honest...

[super_seal]

A grin instantly lights up his features. "We do?" Yes, the idea of Danny surfing with him does make Steve very happy. "You know, we can go surfing here if you're interested...?"

Holding Danny's gaze, Steve nods. Making Danny his partner that day had been a leap of faith for Steve but there had been so much about Danny, and how they met, that had made leaping easy. He trusted his SEAL team, but no where near to the same degree that he trusted Danny. The SEALs had Steve's back, Danny had his entire life. Steve trusted, and relied upon, him implicitly. "I'm glad to be here with you too, partner."

[dann_0]

"Yeah? Do we have boards and everything?"

When Steve holds his gaze like that Danny ends up looking like a deer in headlights. He wonders if Steve knows how much he needs to hear that, that Danny needs to know that Steve isn't just keeping him around because he is a good detective. He opens his mouth, halfway to saying something they'll probably both regret when he feels a fish on the line and his attention is drawn away. "Steve! Fish."

[super_seal]

"I can make you a board. Until then you can borrow Mary's. Or we can see if Moana's is still here somewhere." If he'd known Danny was surfing he would have started on his already.

Watching Danny's facial expression, Steve knows they are having a moment. A zing of nerves runs through him and suddenly his palms are sweaty and the hair on the back of his neck twitch as he waits for Danny to speak. He hopes what Danny is about to say is what he's hoping it will be and that they are on the same page. The urge to ask 'yes' is on the tip of his tongue but then Danny is looking away and he's left confused.

"What?" Following Danny's look it quickly makes sense. "Oh! FISH!" On type of excitement is replaced with another and he's calling out words of encouragement not really focusing on the words at all. "Reel it in, Buddy! Careful. Don't lose it. You got this..."

[dann_0]

Danny does as he is told, and for once doesn't mention that this isn't his first rodeo. Part of him is disappointed that he didn't get to say what he wanted, another part is relieved. Hopefully Steve will have forgotten by the time they got the fish on land. It is a bit of a struggle but eventually a good sized fish is being hauled towards the shore.

"Are you ready to grab it?"

[super_seal]

It's not likely that Steve is going to forget, at least not fully. Whether he'll bring it up later or not is another story. It's not that he's confused about his own feelings. No he knows exactly what he feels towards Danny, and what he wants with the other man. The problem he has, the stumbling block that stops him from moving forward, is whether or not Danny would feel the same way in return and want the same things. He's not even so much concerned that Danny will hate him for the way he is, but he is concerned that by revealing how he feels, it will change their relationship if Danny doesn't feel the same way in return. And that, that is something that Steve just can't have. His relationship with Danny means everything to him and he can't, easily, put it in jeopardy over what might be. Especially since he is fairly certain that Danny is very much straight.

But, right now his focus is on the good sized fish that Danny is hauling in. Steve had made a fishing net not long after he arrived here and he grabs that now, holding it steady and under the fish for Danny to lower it into. "Whenever you're ready, partner, so am I. Nice job, Buddy! Looks like we won't be going hungry tonight!"

[dann_0]

Danny laughs as the fish is caught in the net and then helps getting it onto the shore. Then he just stands there looking at it. He is pretty sure Steve is going to take care of dispatching it and gutting it. At least he hopes so. Danny knows how to do it he just rather not, especially not when Steve most likely is going to comment on it anyway.

"Yeah, we can cook it up over a nice big fire. Should be a nice meal." He reaches over to place a hand on Steve's shoulder, happy to be laughing and having done a good job.

[super_seal]

It feels good to be laughing here with Danny. The touch of Danny's hand on his shoulder warms him in ways that he'd forgotten how good it felt. The feeling that he truly belongs somewhere. He almost finds it odd that he's feeling that here, a place where they truly does not belong, but he'd learned long ago that it's the people that matter, not the location. And in Steve's mind, by Danny's side is exactly where he belongs. Always. Even if it can't be in all the ways he wants it to.

"Yes, it should," he agrees happily, momentarily sidetracked from their earlier conversation and the desire that ignites deep in his belly, also fuelled by the touch on his shoulder. "Think Mary will have the fire going by the time we get back?" Steve's sure she's tried, he's just not certain she would have fully succeeded. Although to be fair, she'd become much better at lighting and maintaining the fire at the house, but there was a difference between a fireplace with dried wood and out in nature.

Steve had intended on letting him and Mary take care of things while they were out here with him only being around to help and advise as needed. Not knowing what Danny was thinking earlier, he asks, "When was the last time you cleaned a fish?"