#kono thought she was pregnant

[kiljoius]

“I think…I want to get pregnant.”

Konohamaru freezes, mouth full of gyoza and eyes fixed ahead as Hanabi hums next to him, chopsticks scraping against her plate.

“Re—” He pauses to swallow his food, before slowly turning to her. “Repeat that?”

“You heard me, Kono.” She doesn’t look up, instead plucks a gyoza up to pop in her mouth. She chews slowly as the cogs in his mind slowly turn, working out the declaration.

Suddenly, visions of Hanabi’s belly swollen flash through his mind and he almost chokes. He snatches his water up and glugs it down before taking in a deep inhale. He blinks at her as she deliberately looks up at him and locks eyes with his. He opens his mouth just a bit to breath out, “with my baby?”

If there was any lustful look in her eye, it vanished with those words as she squinted at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Well—”

“Of course your baby! You’re my husband, idiot!”

“Right—right—uh, so—”

Hanabi sighs, loudly. For as good as Konohamaru is at his job as a sensei and team leader, he’s very bad at taking news like this.

“Right—right now? Like, I mean—” Konohamaru drops his chopsticks, already pushing his chair back to get up. “We could go to the bedroom? Or, uhm—even here would be fine.”

Finally, she smiles, just slightly. He’s always been like a puppy, especially when she instigates intimacy. He’s already assessing the table, clearly thinking of the fastest way to clear it. She grabs the end of his long sleeve and tugs him back down, and he looks at her questioningly. She shakes her head. “Konohamaru, I’m still on protection, so no, not this second.” His face falls and it’s actually very cute to her. “Even if we did, it wouldn’t take yet…I just thought we should, well, you know. Talk about it first, whether you want—”

“Yes.”

Hanabi looks up at his quick response with surprise. He looks dead serious. “Well, don’t you want to think on it a little bit before—”

“Nope.” He shakes his head, quickly, reaching out to grasp her hand and pulls it into both of his. “I don’t need to think about it, at all. Having a kid with you would be a dream, Hanabi.”

“I—” Her breath catches as she meets his eyes, scanning them. His expression turns warm as he pulls her hand up to her lips, kisses the back of her knuckles. He’s always so loving with her, she can’t help but melt. He tugs her out of her seat towards him and she relents, letting herself slide into his lap. His arms encircle her and she sighs, shallowly. “Well…I want to, too…is now…okay?”

“I’ve just been waiting on you.” He shrugs, unbothered and she tilts her head. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m completely ready.”

“Oh…” She dips her head, inhaling a little breath. “I suppose I could stop my pill, then.”

His arms tighten around her briefly, then one hand leaves to grasp her chin, pulling her to look at him. She smiles at the eagerness in his eyes, letting him pull her in for a kiss. When they part, he whispers, “how…how soon, then?”

“About four weeks…”

“Hmm…” he hums, licking his lips and she can’t help but watch it. His lips upturn into a smirk. “Then we better—uh—practice, huh? Like training—”

“Oh—!” She rolls her eyes, pulling out of his lap. “You idiot.”

“Your idiot.” He gets up to follow her, wrapping her up and she already knows she can’t resist him when he’s like this.

[snorlaxishere]

7x25: Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono-Where Kono has one last happy moment (before the end)

Kono with her niece/cousin Sarah shopping for Jerry getting his Five-0 badge (FINALLY!!!) she is so happy and has a moment to herself where she...thinks she might be pregnant (which we later find out from Adam was not to be (I was so disgusted by what the writers did to Adam and Kono) they never got their happy ending after all the shit they went though to be together.

This was a nice scene thou. The last happy Kono scene we had and I will always treasure it.

[sunny-flower-girl-01]

Ohana- A Hawaii Five-0 Fanfic  Chapter Two

Enjoy! Please let me know what you guys think!

I am switching up the POV in this chapter and will probably continue like this. If you have a specific POV you'd like to hear from the characters, let me know.

~~~~~~~~~~~

At the Palace-

"You what!" Danny screeched as they exited the elevator. After they figured out that their "suspect" was going to be no help, they headed back to the office. Thank God everyone else was out of the office at the moment. The last thing Steve wanted to deal with is everyone else finding out about this before he had a chance to process it himself. He had spit it out to Danny on their elevator ride up to the office.

A baby. Steve was gonna have a baby. Well, Thea was going to have a baby. Steve's baby. He sighed and walked straight into his office, ignoring Danny as he continued to ask him to repeat what he just said.

"I'm sorry, you got who, what? You got a girl pregnant?" Danny followed him into the office quickly. Steve sighed again and sank down into his chair, head in my hands.

"What am I gonna do, Danny? I barely know this girl. We hooked up once when we met at the bar at Side Streets! Hell, I never even told her my name! She called me out of the blue yesterday and told me she had to see me in person. That it was urgent. It took me a minute to even realize who she was." He ranted, leaning back into the chair and stared up at the ceiling. Danny, for once, was silent. He looked like he was thinking which was never a good thing. After a moment he finally spoke up.

"What's her name?"

"Thea Kenwood. Why?" Steve asked. Without saying a word, he got up and left Steve sitting in the office alone. "Where are you going?" He called after him. Not a minute later he was back and tossed a file down on the desk. "What is this?"

He sat down in the chair in front of the desk again. "Theodora, also known as Thea, Kenwood. I knew she looked familiar when I saw her at Kamekona's. Grace is best friends with her sister, Nora. She's going to a sleepover there this weekend so I thought I'd look into who was going to have my kid overnight." He said, leaning back in his chair. He pointed to the file on the desk. "That, is a complete background check on the woman you've impregnated."

Steve stared at the file. Everything he wanted to suddenly know about this women was sitting right on his desk. He would know just about her entire life if he looked into it. Normally, Steve would have immediately done his own research about this woman. But something told him he shouldn't do it. He needed to respect her privacy more than that.

Ignoring his own thoughts, Steve looked up at Danny. "Did you read it?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

Steve pulled the file over to him, staring at it for a moment. He looked up at Danny and shook his head. "Anything important I need to know?"

Danny leaned back and shrugged. "28. A counselor and board member down at the Hawaiian Youth Center. She has custody of her little sister Nora, the one that's best friends with Grace. Nothing really stands out. Just a hard working girl trying to raise a 7 year old. "

Steve nodded, rubbing his hand over his face while he swiveled slightly in his car. Steve spoke softly. "I'm gonna be a dad." He looked at Danny with glossy eyes. His eyes widened then snapped shut. "Oh god, I'm gonna be a dad!" Steve dropped his head onto his desk. Danny laughed and threw his head back.

"Oh boy, Super Seal having his first freak out. I love it." Danny chuckled, throwing his hands up.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

After Danny's laughter dies down, they sit in silence for several minutes.

"She gave me an out." Steve said softly. Danny's head shot up.

"You didn't take it did you?"

Steve shook his head. "No! No, I... He pulled the ultrasound out of his pocket and looked at it for a moment before handing it to Danny. "A small part of me wanted to, but she gave that to me. How can I not be a part of my own child's life? I can't just go on with my life everyday knowing that my kids out there and I wasn't a part of their life!" Steve ranted, talking with his hands like his partner does.

Danny looked up from the ultrasound. He was remembering how he felt seeing Grace for the first time on the monitor that day in the doctors office. "Wait, are you mad she gave you an out?"

Steve sighed as he leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "No. I mean, I don't know. How could she possibly think that I wouldn't be there? That's my child too."

Danny shook his head. "No, Steve. I'm sure she didn't mean it like that. I mean you said so yourself. You barely know the girl. That means she barely knows you too. How the hell was she supposed to know you wouldn't just say, 'Oh that really sucks for you but I don't want anything to do with you or the baby.'" He put the ultrasound back on the desk. "That freak out you just had a moment ago, I'm sure she's been having a similar one. She had nothing to tell her that you wouldn't just leave her and that kid out to dry." Danny sighed, leaning back to cross his legs. "Look, I know finding out you're gonna be a father is scary. I was terrified when Rachel and I found out we were gonna have Grace. Hell, she's seven years old and I'm still scared every day. But hey," Danny stood and reached across the desk to pull Steve to his feet and into a bro-hug. "You're not gonna be alone. You know we got your back no matter what."

Steve smiled and returned Danny's hug. "Thanks Danno."

Danny pulled away in time for Steve to see the eye roll at the nickname. "And whether she knows it or not, we've got Theas back. So anything you guys need, just let us know. Speaking of, are you gonna tell the cousins today or wait a bit?"

"I think I'm going to wait a bit. I at least want to have another chat with Thea and let this all sink in some more." Steve said. He pulled out the other piece of paper that Thea gave him with the ultrasound. "She has an appointment today that she invited me to. She said if I couldn't make it it wasn't a big deal. Id like to try and make it, but by the looks of this case I wont be able to." He sighed. He really wanted to be able to be there. He just hoped that Thea wouldn't like his not being there as a sign that he didn't want to be involved. That was a conversation that he was going to have to have with her. His job was dangerous and demanding.

"What time is the appointment? They usually aren't that long so I don't see why you couldn't go." Danny asked him.

Steve glanced at the slip of paper. "11. Its just 9:30. I don't know if Ill be able to make it. But I told her I would call her later even if I wasn't able to show up."

Danny shook his head, following Steve towards the office door after they saw Chin and Kono walk into the offices. "I swear, I'm going to get you to that appointment. Trust me, they're more important than you think."

"Hey boss, we think we have a new lead on our suspect." Chin said, going to work on the tech table to pull up some surveillance footage.

"Alright, what do we have?"

The doctors office-

Thea sighed, plopping the magazine down on the table in front of her chair in the waiting room. The wait was going on 30 minutes and the seated were extremely uncomfortable, even for non-pregnant women, Thea imagined. Finding a better doctors office was on her list of things to do today before she had to pick Nora up from school. Mindy was supposed to meet her after this for lunch so she could get her recommendations, but also so she could finally tell her who the father was. This was a conversation Thea was dying to have with her best friend.

She was also going to have to have a conversation with Rachel. Through the girls, the women have gotten pretty close. Rachel offered to help out with Nora whenever Thea needed help. Rachel told her that she remembered how exhausting it was to still work while pregnant and she couldn't imagine having to go through this alone, regardless of the father's help with the baby or not. She told Thea that everyone needs a support system and to not hesitate to call if she needed anything or just wanted to talk to someone who has been there.

Thea was thankful to have a wonderful support group. Between Mindy, Rachel, all her friends at work, and now from the sounds of it, Steve. She was finally starting to feel better about this pregnancy.

Thea smiled to herself and leaned back in the waiting room chair. Right as she was starting to get comfortable, her name was called. She made small talk with the nurse as they walked back to the exam room.

"So I hear were at 12 weeks already!" The nurse said excitingly. "Will the father be joining us today?" It was a routine question, her nurse last week had asked her the same thing.

"No, he's stuck at work. Its just me today." Thea said, smiling friendly at the nurse. It felt nice to be able to say that and actually mean it this time. She had used the same excuse on her visit a few weeks ago. She really hadn't expected Steve to come today but felt like she owed it to him to have the option.

"Aw, okay. Well, well make sure we get some good pictures of the little one for him to see." The nurse smiled and let Thea into the exam room. "Okay, if you'll just change into the top laid out on the table, then lay down, I will be right back to get started."

Thea nodded and waited for the nurse to leave before quickly changing into the paper like shirt. She groaned at how sensitive her boobs were rubbing against the thin fabric. She had already turned to wearing sports bras on most days since regular wired bras just weren't comfortable anymore. And she didn't see it getting any better for the rest of her pregnancy.

She hopped up on the table, trying her best not to mess up the paper that was laid across it. She leaned back and closed her eyes so she could try and get comfortable.

'Goddamn, the chairs and tables are made of bricks.' She thought to herself.

There was a knock on the door that startled her a little. "Uh, come in." Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Steve poke his head in the door.

"Is it okay that I come in?" He asked, opening the door up a little more to walk in.

Thea smiled softly at him. She hadn't expected him to show up today. "Yeah of course. I just didn't think you were going to be able to make it." She watched him walk in and close the door behind him. He walked over to the exam table and glanced down at her small bump that was much better to see in the top she was wearing now than the one she had on this morning.

"Yeah, I didn't think I was going to either. I have to get back to work after this, but I really wanted to be here so Danny and I made a pit stop." He said.

Before Thea could respond to him, there was another knock at the door and the nurse came into the room.

"Alrighty lets- Oh! Hello! You must be the father?" She smiled at Steve, a bit flirtier than Thea liked. She had no claim to Steve, so she didn't know why the nurse grinning at Steve like that irked her so much. They were going to be co-parents, that's it.

Steve politely smiled at the woman. "Uhm, yeah. Yeah I'm the father." He said, looking down at Thea, who was still looking at the nurse with a slight indifference. As a cop and SEAL, Steve picked up on it quickly, but Nurse Amanda, as the woman just introduced herself, didn't seem to notice the sudden change.

"Alrighty then, well, lets get started and see how your little one is doing." She pulled the monitor over to her. "Lift your shirt up to your chest," She motioned to Thea. "And I'm going to put some gel on. Fair warning its a little cold.

Thea pulled her shirt up to right under her boobs. She glanced up at Steve who was looking like a nervous wreck. Thea couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"What?" Steve asked, his eyes meeting hers for the first time since he walked into the exam room. His green eyes met her amused ones.

"A Navy SEAL and a cop, and you look like you're about to faint." She giggled.

"I prefer the term, pass out, and no I'm not. I'm fine. Its just.." He trailed off, looking at the wand Nurse Amanda had in her hand. She pressed it to Theas abdomen gently and spread the blue gel around.

Thea took Steve's hand and squeezed it gently. This was her second ultrasound but she remembered how scared and nervous she was. "I know." She smiled softly. They both looked over at the nurse to see her turning the monitor around for them to see.

"Looks like the babies are doing great!" She exclaimed.

Theas head snapped away from the monitor and to the nurse. "The what?" Her eyes were wide. She was having one baby, not two.

"The babies. You're having twins!" She looked at the shocked faces of Steve and Thea. "Did you not know?"

"Does this look like the face of someone who knows she's having twins?!" Thea said loudly, causing Steve to snap out of the shock he was in. This morning he found out that he was about to be a father of a child. And now two. Theas hand was still in his, squeezing harder and harder.

"I'm not having twins. My last ultrasound showed ONE baby. ONE." She said.

The nurse moved the monitor over more so they could see. "One baby was probably well hidden behind the other, or was just not able to be seen on the screen. Lets see," She hit a few buttons on the screen then the sound of two rapid heartbeats came through the speakers. "There. There's the heart beats."

Thea opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Her eyes began to water up. Steve pulled one of the chairs over to sit next to her. His eyes never left the screen where he saw the two babies that Amanda had pointed out. He wrapped his other hand around his and Theas joined hands and lifted it to his lips, squeezing them gently. Thea squeezed back, looking over at him. She tried to hide the smile she had on her face but she couldn't.

"Twins would explain the all day morning sickness and the fainting spell you said you had earlier in your pregnancy. I'll take a couple pictures for you, then the doctor will be in."

Steve pulled their hands away. "Fainting spell?" He questioned Thea.

Thea used her other hand to wipe the few tears she had. "Uh, yeah. I was on my way up to my apartment one day with Mindy and I fainted outside my door. I thought it was just the heat and the long sleeved shirt I was wearing plus with how sick I had been feeling. After that Mindy kept asking if I was pregnant. A few days later I took a few tests. She looked at Steve. He had a look on his face, a worried look. It was only one time, I'm on my vitamins now and I'm careful about the heat." She gave his hand another squeeze.

Amanda said they would have the pictures for them at sign out and excused herself from the room.

Steve and Thea sat in silence, both thinking about what just happened.

~~~~~~~~~

After typing in this POV I'm not too sure how I like it, but I wanted to get this chapter out in time. I might come back and retype it later.

Please let me know what you guys think!! I really appreciate the feedback!

[cowandcalf]

Writer’s Month 2020 - To Find A Way

Prompt No.14 - Metamorphosis Part I

Chapter 1-6

Chapter 7

"Hey, Tanaka wants results on the case, asap. We need to come up with something useful today. He's pissed. He breathes down our neck. I hate it when he does that. We need hard proof to get that damn search warrant." Kono shoves a coffee to go under Danny's nose and hops up to sit on his desk.

Danny turns his phone upside down and pretends he hasn't been checking again if Steve had texted.

"What are you doing?" Kono's eyes are on his cell.

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh."

The hustle and bustle at HPD is intense with all the cops coming and going. An angry drunk shouts obscenities into the open space of the office where he sits cuffed to the chair next to Meka's desk. Danny watches the old woman who has lost her parrot. The poor woman clutches her purse and looks overwhelmed with what's going on at the police station.

"Kono, make sure Duke takes care of that lady over there. She's too old to sit for so long and she misses her pet. Can you do that?" Danny grabs his coffee and hopes Kono drops the thing with his phone. "Duke's always good with confused, old ladies. He'll make her feel safe and he'll find her bird."

"He's on his way back from questioning a witness. I'll call him and tell him. What's the plan for today?" Kono dials a number on her cell and looks expectantly at Danny.

"Let's check those bank accounts again. We need to find out how they get that money off the island. How they sell the puppies." Danny rattles down the points on their to-do list. He reaches for the case files with their suspects. "I'll comb through our interrogation protocols again to find the needle in the haystack. This lumberjack guy lies. We need some results fast. I wanna get back to the guy's house. I don't mind to punch the asshole in the face. We need to find the drugs and the puppies. God, I hate cases with puppy trafficking. People are so sick." Danny gets up and signals Kono to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Kono hops off the desk to catch up with him.

"I need a quiet place. I can't think in here. It's a mess and too loud. Let's go and sit at Kame's place. Maybe he knows stuff we don't. Let's work together."

"Tanaka wouldn't approve." Kono teases.

"I don't care shit about what Tanaka approves. He wants results. He'll get results. Come on, let's get out of here."

Danny checks his phone again. He can't fight that strong pull to just check on the incoming texts. It's pathetic and he's aware of that. But still. Damn it. Nothing. Danny senses the same dull tweak of disappointment when all he sees is the screensaver. It's Grace's picture. He loves Grace but still, he had expected a least one text from Steve. It's been days since he's watched Steve getting smaller in the rear mirror.

Grace's beloved face makes him smile of course. It's not that he doesn't love to look at a picture of his baby girl. But he would have liked if Steve had acted on that rain check. Steve hasn't texted in nearly six days. Not one lousy letter and it's messing with Danny's mood. No one needs to point out how stupid he behaves. Rationally Danny can deal with it, emotionally he can't. He worries Steve might have forgotten his number. But hey, he's ex-elite force. He should draw those few numbers from his mind with ease. And that leads Danny to the conclusion he tries to avoid. The one where the only logical explanation would be that Steve's just not interested and that he's forgotten about Danny.

Danny checks again, just to be sure he hasn't missed anything. He waits until Kono opens the door for him. His eyes are glued to the small display.

"Danny, we need to talk." Kono pushes the door open.

"About what?" He slips the cell into his back pocket.

"I've created a tally sheet to log how many times you've checked your phone since you've walked through that door this morning." Kono grins. "The log-ins are from five days. There's something going on. You never check your phone that often unless you expect something. It's not work-related I can tell. I smell romance in the air." Kono has this predator smile on her face Danny has learned to fear. She has tasted blood. Danny's in deep trouble. "You've met someone." That's not even a question. She's made a statement as if she sees right through him.

Danny's lost for words. "You did what? A tally sheet? What happened to privacy? And by the way, it's none of your business."

"You work with a bunch of crazy cops. Yes, it's my business. You're distracted all the time. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"I don't know? I guess? Could you just shut up about it? It's nothing." Danny defends himself.

"Hey, you just stood there, waiting for me to open the goddamn door for you because you were so busy with checking your phone!" Kono shouts. "Tell me!"

"No."

"It's my business too when it affects your work."

"It doesn't affect my work!"

"I brought you coffee. Every damn day! Give me at least some details. The big picture! Who's this person who makes you forget about everything around you."

Danny stops dead in his tracks and gapes at her. "You brought me coffee hoping I would feed you some rom-com shit you just made up?"

"It was your favorite coffee, brah! Kamekona doesn't break either. He won't say a damn word!"

Danny can't even throw his hands in the air. He holds on to his coffee and to the files he picked from under his arm. "You did what??"

"I asked Kame what's up with you. He wouldn't say but his face twitched. You know the way it does when he hides something. But he wouldn't budge. So, that only means that something important is going on and you guys, have a secret you won't tell me. And that secret is related to you and the constant checking your phone!"

The smile splits Danny's face in half. "You're a damn good cop, Kono-san."

"Don't, nuh-huh, don't Kono-san me, not working, Danny! Who is it? You try to hide everything. It's extremely suspicious."

"Get it, shut up, and don't make me push you out the door when we're on the highway," Danny grumbles. "We take your car. You drive. I go through the files on our way to Kame." Danny inhales and rolls his eyes. "And no more questions, Kono, I mean it."

Danny's phone rings. He jerks to the unexpected sound. Kono snickers with her eyes all over him. She doesn't miss a single detail.

"Eyes on the road, Kono. Jesus!"

"You're smiling like a stupid idiot." She says.

Danny's too busy to reach for his phone. It's Rachel. His stomach drops fast. The disappointment makes him bite the inside of his cheek.

"That's not the person you have expected." Kono leans in and reads the caller ID on the screen. She has no feelings for personal boundaries. She's a pain in the ass today.

"Kono! For fuck's sake, watch the road!"

"Brah, you act strange. All tense and shit. I don't like it. Spill it already, dude."

Danny scoffs an answer but takes Rachel's call. "Rachel, what's up? Everything's fine? Is Grace okay?"

When he hangs up Kono just takes one look at him and is all serious again. "Danny? What's up? What do you need?"

"Can you drive me to the hospital?"

"Whoa! Something happened?" She shouts.

"No, God no. Nothing. Rachel's fine, Grace's fine." Danny runs his hand over his face. "You know, I told you Rachel undergoes in vitro fertilization because she and Stan can't get pregnant. She got the call. She has a two-hour window to harvest one of her eggs. She's at the hospital. Stan's in a meeting. She has Grace and she's scared and upset. I'm her backup if Stan can't be there.  I'll look after Grace when she's under. Can we make a detour to the hospital?" Danny explains.

"Sure, brah, whatever you need."

Kono drops him off and snatches the case files out of his hand. "Leave this to me. I'm at Kame's. Call me if you need anything. Be with Grace and let Rachel do what she came to do. Stan's on his way. I called the office. I'll come and pick you up. Call me, okay?"

"Thanks, Kono. I owe you." Danny's thoughts are already somewhere else.

"No, you don't owe me a single thing, Danny-san. You're ohana but you're not off the hook about your secret romance."

Danny sighs and shakes his head. He combs his fingers through the ruffled hairdo. He watches how Kono filters back into traffic.

The reception at the fertility center/the child birthing ward is painted in calm and friendly colors. The staff is always caring and supportive. Danny has mixed feelings to step into this realm where sadness and happiness are equally balanced. He and Rachel had never any difficulties getting pregnant. He feels deeply sorry for Stan and Rachel.

"Danno!" A loud, high-pitched voice called his name. With her pigtails flying Grace runs right into his open arms.

"Hi, monkey! Hey, love to see you, baby-girl. Everything's fine?"

"I don't like this place." Grace wraps her small arms around his neck.

"I'll make sure mommy is fine and then we head outside to check-out that awesome-looking playground, okay?"

Grace nods and holds on to him. Danny carries his daughter over to where Rachel gets checked her personal details. "Hi, Rachel, how are you?"

"Hi, Daniel. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I didn't have anyone else to call." She sniffs but stands tall. She's a brave woman. Danny's glad they've worked hard to become friends for the sake of Grace's happiness. They're good parents.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine. I'm here. I'll take care of Grace. Kono called Stan. He's on his way. You go and make sure you're one step closer to having a baby, okay?" Danny gently pets her shoulder. She seems so upset and nervous. Her eyes are big. She wears the stress like a cloak around her shoulders. The mood of her mother makes Grace cling to Danny. He holds her tightly to assure that everything is okay.

Rachel bites her lips. She shows a watery smile. "Thank you, a lot, Daniel. Can you – can you make sure Stan comes and finds me once he's here?"

"Yes, will do."

"Okay, I'll give you a call when I'm done." Rachel strokes Grace's back, "bye baby, mommy's back soon. Stay with Danno, okay?"

Danny and Grace wave Rachel goodbye. They watch until the automatic doors with the blinded glass close behind her back. Danny's gaze falls on a heavily pregnant woman who sits in the waiting area holding her round belly with her arms. She looks a bit stressed and her bangs are wet. Her cheeks are flushed. She sits there with her eyes closed and seems to breathe in a calming pattern. She's so young. Danny feels the distinct protective instinct kicking in. He hopes she's not alone and there's a loving husband who takes good care of her.

Grace wiggles in his arms. "Danno, can we go now?"

"Of course, monkey. Let's go and have some fun."

The automatic doors open again and a tall, dark, handsome man walks over to the blond, young woman. He wears cargo pants, dark, solid boots, and a rumpled navy-blue V-neck shirt hanging out of his pants. Danny recognizes the tattoos first. The way the guy walks over to the pregnant woman looks so familiar. Danny imagines bare feet and worn blue jeans and a lot of dirt.

Steve.

Danny hears Grace babbling and complaining. He holds onto her and watches Steve. He carries a bottle of water and sits down next to the beautiful-looking soon-to-be-mama. He gently brushes at the wet strands of hair to get it out of her eyes. Danny just stares at the perfect picture. He should have known it. Guys like Steve are taken, no matter the damage they carry around. Danny bites his tongue and swallows a pain so sharp as if stabbed in the gut.

The young woman must have said something because Steve's head darts around and he meets Danny's eyes. Danny hears the nurse at the reception talking on the phone. He realizes how Grace wants to be let down but he only sees Steve and the way he takes him in. The way his eyes shoot to Grace and back to him, and how he shuts down. How he pushes Danny away without saying a single word, or even twitching a finger. Steve doesn't smile, doesn't show he knows him. Danny feels deeply hurt and when he's hurt, he gets bold.

"Come on, Grace. I need to say 'hi' to a friend and I promise we're leaving after that." He puts Grace down and takes her small hand in his.

"Hi, Steve. Nice to meet you. I didn't know you're going to be a father soon. Congratulations." He says with the sweetest smile he finds in him. The hurt is like wet sand that pulls him down.

Steve clenches his jaw and stays silent. His gaze gets all soft when he looks at Grace though. "Hi, sweetheart, what's your name?"

Grace hugs Danny's leg and hides her face at his thigh. He protectively shields her by hugging her shoulder before he cups the back of her head. "That's Grace, my daughter."

Steve withdraws even more. He shuts down in a way Danny only senses and it hurts. It hurts. And he knows he has no right to feel hurt because he has no claim on this man.

"Okay, guys, I don't know what's this all about but Steve, you're rude. Just say 'hi' to your friend. God, Punk, where are your manners?" The young woman grunts and pushes herself to sit upright with her legs spread wide to make space for her round belly. Steve's immediately at her side to help her.

Danny's afraid she's going to pop any minute. "I'm Danny, hi, nice to meet you. Steve and I only met once. He might not recognize me. I wish you all the best and I hope you're doing fine. When is your due date?"

The woman's mouth falls open. She grabs Danny's hand with both hands and keeps it sandwiched in hers. "You are Danny?" She gasps. "Wow!"

A shudder of excitement ripples through Danny's chest.

Steve jerks out of his stupor. "Mary," his voice carries a warning tone, "just – please? Could you not?"

Grace whispers too loud that this woman has a baby in her belly. This makes even Steve smile.

"I'm Mary. It's so nice to meet you, Danny. Steve talked about you and I'm so happy to meet you. He promised I might one day but you know I'm impatient. And here you are. And I'm not due for two weeks. But our little sweetheart makes her own rules. It was a false alarm. I told Steve but he freaked out and wanted to go to the hospital to be sure. He's my brother, by the way, my big brother. Kawika, my husband, is on his way but he wasn't there when it happened."

Danny has a tight grip on his features. The odd mix of emotions makes him sleepy. What does all this even mean that Mary just spilled with this cute smile on her face? He can't look at Steve.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mary. I'm glad everything's fine." He wants to add more like thank you for taking good care of Steve or any similar, emotional shit he has no right to say but Mary's name gets called.

Danny turns to spot a good-looking man, dark skin, curly hair who jogs over to kneel at Mary's side. "Hi, baby, I came as fast as possible. How are you? How's our little nuglet?" The man kisses Mary's belly with so much love and devotion Danny has to look away.

"All the best to you, guys. I take Grace outside to play."

"Danny, wait!" Mary speaks up. "Kawika I want you to meet Danny. Danny, meet Kawika, my husband."

There's a glint of recognition in Kawika's eyes. His handshake is solid, strong, and full of trust. "Nice to finally meet you, Danny."

Danny's isn't far behind with being brilliant at filling in the gaps. "You're a friend of Kame."

Kawika's smile is blindingly open and kind. "Yes, and thank you."

Danny knows instantly he's referring to Steve and what has happened almost a week ago. Steve has talked about him with his loved ones. Danny's mood rises like a morning sun. He feels great. "You take care of your sweet wife."

"I will." Kawika turns and pulls Steve into a fierce embrace. They seem to be very close.

"Danny," Steve's voice makes him stop again, "I'll come with you and Grace if you don't mind?" That's the first sentence Steve says since they've met again.

"Sure, let's go."

On the way out, Graces holds on to Danny's hand and peeps up at Steve who walks beside her. Out of the corner of his eyes, Danny sees how Steve gifts her with lovely smiles until she giggles. Danny's heart just flips over in his chest.

TBC

Also on AO3

[mymcdanno]

Fic: Love, Danny (4/?)

Summary: McDanno AU based on the movie Love, Rosie.

Author note: Hi friends!! I am finally back with a new chapter, and I promise the next chapters are not so far away. Special thank you to horndog333 on AO3 who inspired me to continue with this. I hope you all enjoy, thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think :)

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / AO3

“I mean, come on. An arrow flying through the air, that’s pretty cool!” Steve told Catherine, explaining the dream he’d had last night to her. She didn’t seem as excited as he was, though.

“I don’t understand. How can you be a thing?” Catherine said, sounding annoyed as she continued washing the dishes.

“I don’t know, I’ve always had dreams like that,” Steve answered, standing up and bringing the rest of the dishes to her. Talking about his dreams with someone that wasn’t Danny always went bad, but tonight it had been his last attempt at making any conversation that wasn’t Catherine telling him he left the bathroom sink covered in hair again. Or how he forgot to take out the trash.

“Well, next time you have one of your weird dreams, maybe you should dream you’re something useful like a vacuum cleaner. Do you want the cleaning lady to think we’re a pair of fuck-ups?!”

“That’s exactly what we are,” Steve said, staring at her for a minute before grabbing his jacket from one of the chairs, rushing outside with his phone so he could text Danny in peace.

**

Now that Danny felt like his life was somewhat under control, the weird texts from Steve were the last straw that made him finally book the tickets to Boston.

Kono, always the good friend he needed, had promised to check in regularly on Rachel and Grace and drove him all the way to the airport. “I feel like I need to remind you, he has a girlfriend,” she said, but there was nothing but amusement in her voice. She seemed happy to see Danny so excited.

“It’s funny though, her name didn’t come up once,” Danny said thoughtfully. It was true, Steve had called him many times since he’d bought the tickets but never had he brought up Catherine. Kono smiled.

“Well, have great time Danny, it’s what you deserve,” she said, voice filled with affection, hugging him closely before he disappeared into the airport.

**

When the airplane landed, nothing could have prepared Danny for how he felt when he saw Steve again. They hugged, so tight that it almost hurt, but neither of them cared. They didn’t want to let go again.

“Hey,” Danny said softly. He couldn’t help but notice the strain in Steve’s smile, though. It was genuine, but looked like it hadn’t been there in a long time. Before he could ask about it Steve had already taken his hand, pulling him with him while he talked.

“So, are you hungry? Tired?”

“No, why?”

“I know just what we need.”

**

As it turns out, going to a pool party at one of Steve’s friends house was exactly what they needed. They drank, they laughed, they danced. It was freeing, in a way neither of them had expected.

“Gin and tonic,” Steve said, smiling as he handed Danny his drink, and Danny accepted it happily.

“Cell? Car keys?” Someone suddenly said, one of Steve’s friends Danny guessed, appearing right behind Steve. His arms went under Steve’s, like he was getting ready to move him.

“Oh no, oh come on,” Steve mumbled, but he looked amused. “Guys, no!”

“We’re going!” Another guy suddenly appeared, taking Steve’s legs, and Danny was outright laughing now. Was this really happening?

“One, two, three-”

Before he knew it, Steve had been thrown into the pool, drink in hand and everything. The people laughed and cheered, Danny included. He felt bad though, so he kneeled down and offered Steve a hand.

It wasn’t until a moment later he realized his mistake, Steve pulling him down so he fell into the pool with him, Danny yelling in the process.

“You’re looking way too hot now, Danno,” Steve said, almost with a growl.

Danny looked down at himself, realizing his white t-shirt was now completely see-trough. He enjoyed the way Steve was looking at him, he did, but as drunk as he was actually doing something about it was still a big no. So he put on a mischievous smile before he pounced, wrestling Steve underwater while they both laughed and tried not to drown.

**

The next thing Steve had planned was a picnic in the park. It was almost romantic, Danny thought, but he didn’t dare go there.

They had been talking for a long while, the morning sun creeping up, and it felt easy. Just like the old days where they could talk about everything at any time. It made Danny feel safe, and when he felt safe all his filters went away and sometimes his mouth spoke before he’d thought things through.

“It’s weird to think that I could have lived here, been a part of all this.” Steve was watching him carefully as they lay next to each other on the blanket, nodding as his eyes followed every moment, and Danny continued. “I don’t think I’d change a thing, though, for Grace. And funny thing is, she reminds me more of you than Rachel. That’s probably just because I love her.”

There was silence, and they stared at each other, faces so close they were almost touching. It would have been so easy to kiss him. Danny closed his eyes.

“We should go.”

“... yeah.”

**

When they got back to Steve’s and Catherine’s house, laughing as they walked in the door, Catherine was looking at them like they’d personally offended her.

“Good morning,” she said stiffly.

“... hi?” Danny said, shooting Steve a worried glance. What was going on here? Why was Catherine acting like that, what the hell had happened?

**

To no one’s surprise, dinner later that night went awful.

“The wine is very nice,” Danny tried, something to lighten the mood.

“Oh, good. Well, you know I can’t drink,” Catherine said, looking at Steve who had the weirdest face, and hey. That was confusing.

“Sorry, um, why can’t you drink? If- if that’s not a rude question.”

“Steve?” Catherine said, eyebrows raised, like she was surprised that Danny didn’t know something. Steve looked like the earth wanted to swallow him whole, and he stuttered.

“Di- um, did-”

Catherine reached out, taking Steve’s hand. “Steve and I are pregnant. Twelve and a half weeks in.”

to be continued...

i’m going to go ahead and tag some people who have helped me, seemed interested or been tagged in earlier chapters, thank you for your support! and if you’d like to be tagged in the next chapters, please let me know!

@themcinebcnd @auntie17 @mcdannoangelwolf @stephmcx @cowandcalf @nanitaire @surewouldbeinteresting @yoko787878 @joannereads

[illegiblewords]

Explanation of design approach and some personality info under the cut.

Essentially, the way I’ve been approaching this I wanted to make each world feel like a self-contained and cohesive team. Nivienne is actually from Lamia and so isn’t designed to mesh with the others, but I use her a lot and have a design strategy for her so she’s included. For team Famfrit as a whole, I wanted to make sure that each personality and design would feel distinct and that the main color for each character would stand out. Most are also pretty obvious lol--black mage is black, red made is red, white mage is white. Areas I went different are gold dragoon (or aurum dragoon if we’re being fancy), purple scholar, green bard, orange ninja, blue warrior.

CENRIC ASHER

My main and a hyur midlander black mage. With him I wanted to push against the concept that hyurs are inherently vanilla or “boring”. Imo there is nothing wrong with designs that look like they could occur in nature, but with him I wanted to do an edgy personal spin in the classic Final Fantasy black mage look where the character is a dark silhouette with glowing eyes, a high collar, and a broad hat. Sometimes he wears other things too but the overall concept ties to that particular look. In personality Cenric is a pretty angsty guy due to having been a con artist who got a lot of people killed with medical fraud. He lies a lot out of fear of the reaction he’d get if his background was known. Possibly a little nuts, thinks he is the son of Nald’Thal and bound to spread death and destruction wherever he goes--striking enemies and allies alike, regardless of his own wishes. Probably actually just has Duskwight heritage. Has pretty hardcore imposter syndrome about being Warrior of Light, but in partial response to having been destitute and outcast for a long time he tries to play into the persona of a powerful, luxurious, mysterious black mage brimming with forbidden knowledge. In reality he is intimidated by most children, can’t whistle, and is a bit of a smartass when he’s not panicking his way through conversations.

J’MOR TIA

My red mage alt, I wanted to do a few experiments with him! One was that Red Mages usually read very sophisticated and swashbuckle-y to me, and I wanted to play more into the rapier as an almost roguish weapon. Very physical. He’s somebody who you initially would not assume is a magic user but who is just as versed and capable on that front as the ivory tower casters haha. I also wanted to make him a combination of ethnically black (contrasting Cenric who is ethnically Arab but weird) and a male miqo’te because I have never seen that combination before. I wanted him to feel very charming and like he has kind of rugged good looks. Just a bit too scruffy for pretty boy. Personality he is probably the most shonen hero of my alts lol. He has stuff he struggles with (he and his sister both wanted to be adventurers but she opted out after taking things way too far in a fight and getting scared of her own power) but doesn’t get stuck in his head nearly as much as some other characters do.

CESAIRE DELAROUX

I futzed with this guy for a while—main inspiration comes from a particular kind of horse called the Akhal-teke.

Also because I have seen some really cool and pretty elezen that specifically worked to play up gold as a color scheme, and in this case I wanted to evoke a kind of warm, soft golden light. Originally I was going to make him a contrast to Cenric and make him much paler, but I wound up going that route more with Asklona instead with drawing loose inspiration from certain forms of albinism. I went more gold to make sure Cesaire would stand out visually from Asklona. Another reason for this route is because I want to make a character who looks very light and pure, but in practice has hardcore bloodlust. XD Wanted one case for playing into that possible WoL element haha. I also thought it might be neat to make a character who could serve as a kind of foil to Zenos in many ways and might credibly say yes when invited to be besties. Cesaire is still a mostly heroic guy but I figure he’s a bit like Dexter if that makes sense.

KIYO SHIROGANE

An auri white mage from Hingashi! To me it felt a little odd that the Ruby Princess of Sui-no-Sato has more of a magenta color scheme than red. I wanted to tie Kiyo to Kugane specifically in part because I think the parallels between geomancy and white magic (land, sea, sky) are super cool imo, there are a fair number or Raen au ra in Kugane with less lore exploration, and I wanted to make a character whose past trailed behind her in a clear and interesting way while she travels. So for Kiyo I kind of took inspiration from the idea of a red pearl (pearls often being white as per the horns and scales but then she has vivid red hair) and from the idea of blood tied to injury and medicine. Plus ya know, white magic. I also took light inspiration from candles conceptually. I totally forgot that Shirogane is the housing district also lol so now she has backstory lore that her family had been heavily involved in establishing the area. Kiyo comes from a large and noble family with a ton of political and economic influence, being herself somewhat sheltered and naïve. She is very sincere, playful, outgoing, and does her best to be kind. Very animated!

OSK YASKARET

For Osk, I was essentially going (ʘ_ʘ;;) because I knew that I hadn’t used ANY brown hair so far and it was making so uncomfortable lol. So I thought about what combination would be appropriate, distinct, and striking enough to fit within the cast while also being distinct. Gray and brown feel like chinchilla colors to me and I think are nice in a way that wouldn’t be out of place with rabbits/viera. I wanted dark eyes since again, I hadn’t yet for this group... so dark purple wound up being her main color. Since I was going scholar, I also wanted to keep the sense of intellect and feeling like a healer without being mistakable for astrologian or white mage. I still want to build into her look, but another aspect I wanted to incorporate--saw a lot of people arguing about the inherent sensuality of Viera, so I figured for her I wanted to make her look elegant and sophisticated but more conservative in glamours. I didn’t want her to instantly read like she hopped out of the woods either. Figure she’d have had time to adapt since.

I’m still very much debating backstory and personality or her but am leaning toward her being the offspring of a viera who left the woods while pregnant. I like the idea of Osk wanting to connect with her heritage but feeling somewhat adrift. I also want to incorporate Nym lore because omg I want more Nym in-general. Personality I do think Osk is probably a little bit of a smug bunny but things remain super tenuous.

ASKLONA WANNEYNWYN

Asklona I literally wanted to make a super soft feeling, hyper feminine lady roegadyn because most interpretations I’ve seen have been either harder feminine or tomboyish. Still fun imo, but given the grief some fans heap on femroes I really wanted to show that this kind of look is doable. I usually try to incorporate the black noses on Hellsguard designs (tiger roooooes) while with Seawolves I tend to push either fully into something natural or fully into something unnatural. So ex. the most desaturated option or else just run with blues and greens. Asklona is specifically a bard because it is pretty and fancy imo and I haven’t seen a lot of roegadyn bards in-general. Asklona I mentioned before is modeled off of certain kinds of albinism, but by that I want to make the disclaimer that pink eyes don’t generally occur in people (pale blue or violet is more likely) and that normally there are some eyesight problems that come with the condition as well as ease of getting sunburn. I don’t necessary play into that with Asklona/am going artistic license because I mean final fantasy we can lift swords bigger than we are. I know these things get overlooked a lot though so it seemed worth specifying. My choice to go this route was because I wanted to make myself use more pastels lol and I figured this would be a fun spot to contrast Cenric. I think in backstory Asklona’s father lost his mind to a siren, and Asklona pursuing adventuring as a bard is partly to take revenge and partly in the hopes that she can call her father back with song. Her involvement becomes more complicated over time but I think that’s the general direction. I picked green for her color scheme because it’s a color that feels like it evokes both the woods of Gridania and the sea itself... and because pink is a shade of red and with green being complementary, I figured it would make the pinks stand out a lot. Asklona is tied to Limsa Lominsa and besides looking for outfits that will flatter her body type I am trying to evoke the ocean in her designs. Pirates, sailors, the works. Personality I am still figuring out a bit but I think Asklona is definitely a shameless flirt, can read as insensitive and self-centered at times as she indulges in what makes her happy. She plays herself off as much more shallow than she is and in-general focuses on pursuing pleasure as a way of avoiding heavier issues.

KOKONO KONO

The scrappy daughter of a Doman fox auspice and a Thavnairian lalafell, Kokono saw her mother waste away with homesickness after fleeing the Garlean occupation. She has two brothers, one who returned to Doma while the other remains in Thavnair witht her father. Kokono hates the idea of loving a place so much you would die over it and decided to travel Hydaelyn, causing mischief while indulging a deep-rooted curiosity and love for discovering new places. Has severe commitment issues. Can be prone to swearing and being insensitive because the shocked reactions amuse her a lot, but her heart is ultimately in the right place. I designed her literally to make a lalafell fox because with the dark nose option + werewolf ears it is SO EASY to make tiny canines and I don’t understand why more people don’t do this. Like I could make an elegant white fox lalafell or a yorkshire terrier lalafell or any number of things. We can have itty bitty dogs! And like Kiyo I wanted some background to be evident in her clothes too. I designed her before I picked her backstory and mainly went for rule-of-cute/what would most evoke the red coat of a fox.

SVATOMIR AZORYA

Last of team Famfrit, he’s a Warrior Hrothgar. Very conceptually rough, I’m interested in playing him much more reserved and traditionally masculine in a lot of ways. I think a character in that vein will help balance out against the other Warriors of Light I made for that world. Design goal here was to make him look as wolf-like as possible haha. I think we have plenty of cat people already with Miqo’te.

NIVIENNE LECLAIR

From Lamia, I’ve talked a bit about her before so copypasting that in.

Basically, when I decided to try doing the whole WoL/Emet-Selch fic writing misadventure it was just a personal challenge for funsies. I’d seen other people do some really interesting and impressive stuff using unnamed lady WoLs. Hadn’t really tried something like that myself so I decided to go full improv with it.

Except my instincts tend toward specificity lol, so I scattered details according to what would make for fun scenarios or cute details. I wanted the lady to be a certain level of tall so I went with elezen. I needed to describe a readily portable weapon that would mesh with that sweet, sweet Amaurotine lore, so I made her a summoner. So on and so forth. Very seat-of-the-pants.

Particularly since the fic I have coming up is gonna be bigger, I’m thinking name is okay now lol.

Cenric as my black mage main is a dark, broody guy who doesn’t quite realize he’s nicer and sillier that he gives himself credit. So I decided Nivienne should be much more socially adept (read: not a lameass poser), very mischievous, confident… but lowkey has some heavy shit going on. Girl can be ruthlessly manipulative. Other WoLs of mine have different personalities.

As I was going through fic stuff, I decided I wanted to visually tie to and contrast with Emet-Selch since shipping. He’s got gold eyes and accents on his regalia? She’ll go silver, but her skin will have a more golden tone. He’s got dark hair with a white streak? She’ll have light gray hair, tie into the ruff of his coat. So on and so forth.

Name-wise, I actually fucked up initially by going too on-the-nose. Nivienne is another (more elezen-French) name for Nimue. Given how that story goes I figured it would be fitting here.

As a couple of other notes--color scheme being gray was experimenting to try for a different-but-distinct summoner aesthetic. I wanted to play up horns/third eye concepts (not strictly in the Garlean sense) and create a vibe that wouldn’t feel like white mage, or red mage, or black mage, etc. I also saw people arguing that female casters all end up looking like magical girls, so I wanted to really make sure that she had a different look from that while still being very feminine.

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Other authors that can join BSD

Come on, with the amount of side characters in BSD, I think we can throw more in. You already know what I said about Raichou Hiratsuka (with accessibility, she can easily be added as Yosano’s former colleague or something). 

Here are some other authors, and while I won’t go as extensive as I did for Hiratsuka, I might include some reasons why. All of this is from Wikipedia because I’m a scrub.

Takiji Kobayashi - He writes proletarian literature meaning he wants to support the working class. He wrote a short novel called “Kanikosen” (Crab Cannery Ship) which tells a story about workers who revolt against the company and managers. The author died due to violent torture at age 29 by the Tokko Police.

Takuboku Ishikawa - He was a poet who was known for his tanka and modern-style poetry. He supports socialistic values and naturalism and was acquaintances with Yosano. His major works were two volumes of tanka poems “A Handful of Sand” and “Sad Toys” plus his diaries. 

Naoya Shiga - He was a novelist and short story writer. Okay, I know he married his cousin, but we can leave that part out. His works were praised by Akutagawa but other contemporaries including Dazai were critical of him. We already have some connections.

Takeo Arishima - BSD has a habit of making male authors female (Kyouka and Kouyou). Takeo is another good option since one of his most notable works is called “Aru Onna” (A Certain Woman) which is about a strong-willed woman struggling in a male-dominated society. Yes, he and his lover Akiko Hatano both worked in literature and committed suicide together. He was critical of Christianity and supported socialism and humanism.

Yone Noguchi - Also known as Yonejirou Noguchi, he was a writer of poetry, fiction, essays, and criticism. He was fluent in both English and Japanese. he did live in western society for years and had various romantic encounters. Personally, I think this is an opportunity to use him as a character that’s a spy between the Guild and the Port Mafia or Armed Detectives Agency. 

Ayako Sono (and Shusaku Endo) - Both are Japanese Roman Catholics, but I find Sono far more interesting of the two (because there was more information on her). She was a hardcore conservative and can face off against Yosano since she believed that women had no right to work after giving birth or getting pregnant. She was racist and believed that South African people should live in a segregated zone. She had a best-seller that depicted domestic violence, but a lot of her works depicted normal life. She’d make a good antagonist.

Sawako Ariyoshi - She is far more modern than the rest, but she wrote about the racism within America (especially since she lived before and after WWII). She described relationships between mothers and daughters. I think she would offer a unique perspective, but I highly doubt them adding her since Japan seems to shy away from that dark side of their history (but what country doesn’t?)

Toyoko Yamasaki - I think she might be a little bit too modern to be considered though.

Kono Abe - This has a similar issue to the previous entry, but he has a connection to the universe already. He admired Dostoyevsky, Kafka, and Poe. He’s known for his surrealism and absurd fiction. That means it leaves a lot open for ability.

Ryotaro Shiba - He was known for his historical and detective fiction.

Juza Unno - He is credited for being one of the founding fathers of Japanese science fiction. A lot of his works were influenced by the defeat of WWII which he took as a hard blow. His scientific work was influenced by Tesla.

Chiyo Uno - Another woman ahead of her time, she was a writer and a kimono designer. She was a short story writer, serial writer, and magazine editor who was heavily influenced by American and European culture (like many in the 1920s). She wanted to be more than a wife and mother and became part of the “Bohemian world of Tokyo”. 

Masuji Ibuse - His history is interesting since he was a propaganda writer, but he was also a respected writer at the time. He was heavily impacted by the war and wrote a novel called Black Rain which was based on the historical records of the devastations caused by the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Again, they will probably shy away from WWII, but I thought Black Rain sounded like a cool name, and I don’t really like the idea of shying away from that part of history.

Jun Ishikawa - In real life, he had interests in many people of the BSD universe including the dark era trio (Oda, Dazai, and Ango), Mori, and Mishima who isn’t canon yet but is suspected to be joining eventually.

Fumiko Enchi - She was one of the most notable writers of the Showa period. 

Ayako Miura - She wrote a novel called Freezing Point which sounds like a cool ability. She respected Dazai and Natsume.

Miyamoto Yuriko - She had a different view of socialism and feminism. She was an anti-imperialist, wrote about working-class women, was imprisoned for her beliefs, and was even turned away by fellow feminists because her work was “too masculine”. 

Yasunari Kawabata - He was a naturalist who was the first Japanese author to win the Nobel Peace Prize in literature.

Murasaki Shikibu - She was a very early but a very prominent writer. She wrote the famous “The Tale of Genji”. She was instrumental in developing Japanese into a written language and is regarded as a classical writer.

W. W. Jacobs - One of these things is not like the other! I blame @awkward-akutagawa and their Twitter AU for making me want to make a character that can resurrect people and @awkward-oguri for providing the fuel for this (they have an OC with a similar ability). Known for his humorous writing, he was an English writer (which makes me question whether he’s elligible for the Guild. Maybe he just upped and left?) He wrote a story called “The Monkey’s Paw” which is basically another cautionary tale of “BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BECAUSE KARMA’S A BITCH”. That would be the basis for the ability. The rest is up to @awkward-atsushi and the other wonderful OC makers.

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, LIA! You’ve been accepted for the role of CAESAR. Admin Minnie: You blew me away with this app, Lia. I loved the vision you have for them and the prose that so perfectly fits the character; but more than anything, I was drawn to the level of detail and thought that was so clearly put into Chiko. Not only did it speak volumes of your passion for Chiko, but I could see clearly see how Chiko came to become a legend. The small headcanons, the translated phrases — all of it made Chiko so real to me as I read your application. I can’t wait to have my heart broken and troubled by your Chiko on the dash! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Lia

Age | 21

Preferred Pronouns | She/Her

Activity Level | I would say a 6/10. I’m a fulltime student, but I’m pretty good about getting my replies… eventually. I also try to actively plot as much as possible.

Timezone | EST

IN CHARACTER

Character | Caesar / Tamura Chiko

What drew you to this character? | Julius Caesar is someone I’ve always been fascinated by, in art, literature, and as a historical figure. He was a man who put all of his faith in his own ability to be great— and many may even argue that it was this pride that led to his own assassination. But no one can deny Caesar of the immense impact he had on the world. He was successful at being immortalized, just as he believed he would. I honestly was super excited to hear we would be getting a Julius Caesar, and although I was initially too intimidated to apply, I finally decided to go for it. There is something about Chiko and how deeply he believes in himself that I was drawn to. I also love how his personality is more nuanced than I anticipated. Occasional gentleness is not something I had expected from a Julius Caesar figure, but in my eyes, that makes him that much more incredible. Chiko is a force— and he isn’t volatile or prone to depravity like many who roam the streets of Verona. He wants power but not solely for the sake of just having it. He wants influence. His interest in the mobs has more to do with his potential influence and what he has to offer to them. There is no one really quite like him in Verona— and I am very much interested in seeing how his presence will affect everyone.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

1. CHIKO FT. THE MOBS— As of now, Chiko is merely feeling out the mobs, he hasn’t yet determined whether either would be of any interest to him. He isn’t interested in joining persay, as he has already loaned his soul to one man, and does not plan on doing so again anytime soon. He wants the mobs to take interest in him, to recognize his own brilliance and how easily they could profit off his potential. But I am very much interested to see how exactly Verona will react to his arrival, and whether they will be intrigued or threaten by his rather extreme ambition.

2. CHIKO FT. INVESTMENTS— I want Chiko to began investing his money in different places, and to potentially have different alliances with all sorts of people. When you’re as brilliant as him, you don’t limit yourself to a single pursuit, and instead spread your ambitions into multiple roots. He may have lost his money once but he’s very much capable of flipping his money into various sources.

3. CHIKO FT. THE DRUMS— The fire never quite left him, he only restrains it, for the sake of himself and the world around him. I wonder what would happened if someone sent Chiko over the edge (This has only happened once before, so it would it something drastic for this to occur). But I would love to explore his inner darkness. This is something that I believe the mob would ultimately benefit from as well.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Of course.

IN DEPTH

In-Character Para Sample:

(translations are at the bottom)

1. He determined his mother had never truly loved him and how could he blame her? You have those eyes— those fryktelig*, ondskap* eyes. O-Oh my poor beautiful boy, she would slur into his feeble body, the thick scent of vodka practically radiating off of her. It is because of his parents that he cannot stand the smell of liquor. This drew nothing but alarm from him at 6 years old, but as they grew older, they hadn’t a choice but to acknowledge it. Chiko was the product of a volatile mixture— his father, Kono Noburu, was a hitman for the Yamaguchi-gumi* clan and an attack dog to the clan’s kumicho, Kenichi Shinoda, just as his own father was to Shinoda’s own father, and so on. His mother, Katrine Bjorklund, was the daughter of the Norwegian mafia boss, Svein Bjorklund, and his Swedish-born wife, Elisabeth Bjorklund. The pair of them had crossed paths when the Bjorklund’s found themselves in Japan for business, a week long fling that had not been meant to amount to anything more. A few months later, a very pregnant Katrine would arrive at Kono’s doorstep, and from that day on, the two had been forcibly linked.

2. How selfish Chiko had been for wanting a sibling— a tactless desire from which no good could come. A union more chaotic did not exist, not since the marriage of Hera and Zeus. Katrine, who had shown little interest in the union, did not spend a moment with Kono in which she was not terrified. He was everything like her father, and though Kono had done everything in his capacity to make Katrine more at ease, nothing truly came of it. She could no longer stand the sight of him and eventually, he would return these sentiments— only overcoming their differences when they made love. Though it was never love being reciprocated, but a concoction of anger, terror, and disgust— which in the  Noburu household, made for a gratifying mixture.

3. Do you know the most moronic mistake I ever made was, segare*? their father demanded as if the 11-year old Chiko were somehow capable of drawing such a conclusion. Falling for a whore. Not a woman, but a whore. I fall into her trap each and every foolish time when all she’s ever done is offer me falsehoods. Whores are always acceptable for fucking, but seeing them as something more is when you’ll run into some trouble. So I beg of you, segare, do not taint our lineage further with the blood of a whore. Learn from your father’s mistakes. I am not sure how much more our blood can withstand. He appreciated the moments in which his father spoke candidly with them, as this was the closest thing to parental bonding that they would ever get. Though he would grow to resent and denounce his father’s misogynistic tirades against his mother, the effects of such teachings had their lasting effects. His sweeping mistrust of man would make his lovers few, and his affections fickle, as well as the prioritization of his own ambitions overall. 4 . You were the most beautiful baby I laid eyes on, min blomst*, his mother crooned to him one day. To think something so beautiful could come from such desolation. It was a mockery— why would Kono and I deserve such a beautiful boy when only ruin would become of him? Just as his father’s drunken denunciations had etched themselves into his brain, his mother sullen tirades would stick with him as well. Especially as he grew older, and began to liken his father more and more. There were times where her eyes would gloss over and she would attempt to “extract the demons from inside of him,” or so she’d explained after attempting to claw his eyes out. When he woke up short of breath, with a pillow plastered against his face, is when he officially began sleeping with his door locked. It has been this way since he was 16 years old.

5. He was freshly 17 when it happened. 17 years old and forced to face the depravity that permeated through every inch of his being. Chiko had never seen a dead body before, but it was not the body that exasperated so, but circumstances of his death. It was the fact that his father looked upon them and their mother absent of any and all remorse. He had been purposeful in his decision to kill the man in their house, Kono’s own way of sending some sort of message to Katrine. It was the fact that Katrine had betrayed their father, and continued to do so time and time again. He could not have cared less about what she spent doing in her pastime, but he could not overlook her absence of loyalty. And so he damned their name. He damned the gods and the universe and all who he felt were responsible for his being born. He had not asked for this life— but he would no longer allow his parents’ corruption to devour him so. He was gone that very night, without as so much as leaving a letter.

6. “You,” Chiko says in a low growl, his eyes in the direction of his bloodied, wreaking father. For once— his father was silent— quieted by Chiko’s rage burning throughout his body. “I will never be as cruel as you. Even if it means I bottle it away and lock it without a key. You didn’t have to do it in front of her. Even she did not deserve that.” He turned slowly to his mother, disappointedly, but without sympathy. She clutched at legs almost pleadingly, but he shook her away. “I could care less about what you do in your free time— you are my mother, and I could never pass judgment for something like that. But I can never respect a person who betrays their family. That, I can never forgive.” He looked between the both of them— disgusted by how self-involved they were, to the point where they forsook their own potential and ambitions. “How pitiful the pair of you are. You ruined each other. But you will not ruin me. I will not waste my potential as you two have. They will remember me, but not by your names. I am a product of you two, but I will not be tainted by your depravity. So have at each other all you want. That is no longer my concern.” He looked at them disappointedly, before making his way to the stairs, careful not to step in the pooling blood.

Translations & Info for various words used: fryktelig= horrible; ondskap = evil; Yamaguchi-gumi = the name of a notorious yakuza clan; kumicho = the Japanese equivalent of a mafia boss; segare = my son; min blomst = my flower

Extras:

***Just a drabble from the perspective of a lover***

You were permitted snapshots of his brilliance, acquired in bits and pieces, but still, he kept you at a comfortable distance. Comfortable for him, that is. For you— it was never enough. A moment with Chiko is never enough. He’s someone who allows minimal viewers into his inner workings, making him all the more enticing. But the spontaneity of it all— the sudden bursts of passion are what keep you around. Seldom people exist who so skillfully render their own passion into the framework of another. Creativity surges through your flesh, and you are reminded of what it is like to be someone’s muse with each continuous eruption of pleasure. How exhilarating it was being left at the discretion of Chiko’s brilliance. The living canvas in which he enacted his hopes and dreams, his deepest desires. You believed in each and everyone, and truthfully speaking— how could you not? With him, all horizons felt closer, the distance between you and the stars felt lesser.

****some drabbles involving their parents***

It is from your father that you learn PRIDE. Refuse to accept anything less than immortalization, he tells you time and time again. Refuse to settle for anything less than greatness. It is that very pride that guides you in your pursuits and for that you are thankful. Nevermind that it was your father who was always the source of such pride. It was your father’s own superior blood he spoke so highly of. He assured you that you would be fine, despite the blood of a traitorous whore pervading through your veins. But he neglects to teach you the horrors of pride in excess, and how dangerous the world becomes when one wallows in their own excess. It is from him you gather your FURY, a demon you’ve been taming since your youth, dreading the chaos that would potentially ensue. You’ve always hated purposeless chaos. You know what you are capable of, you know of the depravity that is nestled between your skin and bones. Your own greatness becomes less of a pursuit and more of an ultimatum for yourself. The path was always singular for you— your own immortalization or dying trying.                        

                   “I could be well moved if I were as you.                         If I could pray to move, prayers would move me.                                But I am constant as the Northern Star,                      Of whose true fixed and resting quality                              There is no fellow in the firmament.                   The skies are painted with unnumbered sparks;                      They are all fire, and every one doth shine;                              But there’s but one in all doth hold his place."        

     —Julius Caesar, right before his assassination, William Shakespeare

It is from your mother you learn TENDERNESS. You were her greatest accomplishment, her most exquisite creation. Beauty illuminated her horizons, her worldview merely a concoction of her own distorted realities. Chiko with his plush hair and lofty cheekbones had been nothing short of perfection, and for this reason alone, he earned her fickle devotions. Though their outward beauty remains intact, Chiko’s features would be bound to darken, to sharpen, the resemblance almost uncanny. They were every part their father, but they would develop their mother’s HEDONISM, the pursuit of her own realities in which Kono did not exist, as she clawed for his ruin time and time again. Katrine would often get this look about her, identical to the look she would give to their father, and Chiko knew that her devotion had met its limits. But the devastation was not shown, his shield of ALOOFNESS practically impenetrable.                    

                 “A coward dies a thousand times before his death,                              but the valiant taste of death but once.                  It seems to me most strange that men should fear,        seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come.”                                      —Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

It is from both parents you inherit AMBITION. Both Kono and Katrine clawed for domination, the struggle for power ultimately driving their son and world away. They prioritized their own ambitions over their own child— and it is for that reason Chiko will never have children. Selfish people are better off without kids. That way, their priorities can continue to be aligned with them and them alone.

[navpike]

it’s that time of year yet again folks! time for me to round up the lot of everything i wrote this year and throw it at you all like a proud parent! this year i managed to publish 217,613 words across 22 fics, with an untold number more unpublished (some of which belong to an original novel i started at the beginning of the year, and an autobiography i dipped my toes into as well!) let’s dive in! 

(a ** denotes some personal favorites!)

DC FICS:

Time And Again (28303 words) [batfam, bg dickwally, jayroy, superbat]:

Dick Grayson comes to live with Bruce Wayne on a Tuesday afternoon when he’s nine years old. It’s a Tuesday like any other, so Bruce settles the boy in and leaves him in Alfred’s capable hands after dinner and heads out for patrol. Gotham’s underworld does not take a day off, and therefore Batman cannot either. Dick awakes in the middle of the night and Bruce isn’t there. Alfred calms Dick down and sits with him and assures him that Bruce would have been there if he could and Dick believes him. Alfred's words can only maintain that belief for so long. Or, the one where Bruce doesn't tell Dick that he's Batman at first and things spiral out of control until people start communicating like adults.

Gold-Plated (1279 words) [batfam]:

It starts like this. Dick follows Jason into the cave, shouting at his brother’s back, while Jason roughly tugs at the release for his helmet. “I mean, I know you’re not going to stop dealing with all of your problems by shooting at them, but could you at least have the decency to not do that while I’m around? Could you at least pretend you still follow some sort of-” “Shut up!” Jason roars, whipping around to hurl his helmet at Dick’s head.

**Every Fiber of My Being (21376 words) [dickwally, batfam, bg timkon]:

As much as Dick and his siblings have argued, Bruce has never budged on his "Keeping Secrets Policy". There's not a person alive outside of the family that knows the secret identity of any of the Bats. Not even Dick's boyfriend. Dick understands the need for some secrets, knows that keeping their identities safe keeps them and their loved ones safe, but when he takes up the cowl, team dynamics aren't the only things that begin to change.

Tremble, Tremor, Shake (2118 words) [batfam]:

Tim doesn’t answer. He lurches like he’s going to go for the toilet again, but he doesn’t quite make it, instead dry heaving once, twice and then slumping against the wall again. Dick thinks that’s the end of it. He’s wrong. Tim slumps against the wall and immediately starts seizing.

**My Brain Occasionally Malfunctions (2243 words) [batfam]:

Dick was shot in the head. Such a serious injury is not without consequence. In which Dick's gunshot wound causes him to develop epilepsy and Jason has some thoughts on the fact that Dick tried to hide it from them.

Teenagers (1280 words) [dickwally]:

Dick and Wally have just found out that their twins have abilities and Damian's been training the twins behind their backs. Looks like everyone's revealing a secret tonight.

**Sign Your Life Away (23927 words)[timkon, batfam, bg dickwally, batcat, clois]:

The Wayne family is a good one, well known, well off, charitable, likable, politically unaffiliated. So when a treaty with Krypton is hinging on an arranged marriage, the Wayne boys are some of the first they approach. Tim is very, very aware that the name right underneath 'Wayne' on the UN's list is 'Luthor'. He can't allow some poor stranger to be forcibly bound to Luthor for the rest of their lives. So when they ask him, he says yes, before he can stop to think if this is actually a good idea.

MARVEL FICS:

**Project: Light (54526 words) [stucky]:

When Steve and Sam finally track down the Winter Soldier, the last thing they’re expecting is to find Bucky with a girl who’s calling him ‘Dad’. Steve doesn’t quite know how to handle that. The others know how to handle it only marginally better. Or, how to win over children and influence monsters: how Bucky’s surprise daughter helps the Avengers help Bucky find himself again, and how he finds Steve again along the way.

Always So Certain You're Fine (2252 words) [gen]:

They're grieving, sure, but they have a war to win, still, and by some miracle, they do it. Or, the Infinity War fix-it that no one asked for.

Suffer in Silence (6416 words) [thundershield]:

Five times Steve Rogers was in pain, and one time he finally wasn't.

**A Hero, Like Spiderman and Better Hawkeye (4286 words) [gen]:

If pressed to answer how he’d gotten to the top of the Avengers’ list of preferred babysitters/dog watchers, Peter’s not too sure he’d know what to say. In which MJ, Ned and Kate Bishop get roped into helping Peter babysit/dog watch, and things spiral wildly out of hand in a Starbucks.

Unexpecting (1893 words) [thruce, valsif]:

When they find themselves largely alone on Earth, tasked with preserving Asgard’s history and her people and working with Earth’s governments to settle political issues, and it seems like battle in another form, Thor and Brunnhilde find themselves seeking comfort in each other. It is harmless, (mostly) innocent fun, until they find themselves staring down at a little indicator, telling them that Brunnhilde is pregnant. In which Thor, Brunnhilde, Bruce and Sif raise a child together, and grow a little themselves in the process.

**What the Desert Will Let Him (5471 words) [samsteve]:

There’s an itch at the back of Sam's mind, that tells him to stay in DC and he thinks maybe this has something to do with The Voice and why he was thrown ass over tea kettle back into this world when he desperately didn't want to come back. In which Sam dies with his wing-man, but something sends him back to live out the rest of his life, because he's not done. There are people who need him, even if he doesn't know it yet.

**Wake Up Calls (4379 words) [gen, bg stucky]:

Bucky Barnes wakes up in Wakanda, the first time, and the second, and the third and fourth and twenty-eighth and sixty-first... Shuri starts out as an ally, and becomes a friend, and then might as well be his kid sister. Bucky and Shuri's relationship told through a few wake-up calls.

Dead Men Walking (16629 words) [gen]:

They don't always show it, but they've each got their own demons to battle. Peter keeps happening upon these battles. OR a bunch of times that Peter was there for the Avengers in a moment of need, and one time they were all there for him.

LGBTQIA(vengers) (3656 words) [stucky, natpepper]:

Steve Rogers comes out on a Tuesday afternoon. By Wednesday morning, it's hit every major news outlet. Twitter has some opinions, and Pepper Potts is taking no prisoners.

**Impact (6087 words) [winterhawk]:

Clint Barton is not born with wings. He is not a mutant, though he doubts that would have helped his case. He is an ordinary boy, until he, one day, is very suddenly not. Or: the wingfic nobody asked for, in which Clint's wings have brought him nothing but trouble until one day, they suddenly don't.

Perfect Men and Other Crimes (2069 words) [stucky]:

Bucky Barnes knows that he is lucky. He still cannot help but feel decidedly unlucky when he hears the New York Police Department’s new policy on partnering regular cops with enhanced ones. Bucky doesn’t have anything against enhanced individuals. He really doesn’t. But he is still profoundly uncomfortable around people who could snap him like a twig. Detective Steven Grant Rogers is exactly that.

Same Monster (2610 words) [gen, bg thruce]:

After returning to Earth, Bruce goes to visit his cousin when a case brings her to New York City. It doesn't go as planned. Or, the one where Jennifer Walters becomes She-Hulk, Bruce feels guilty, and Thor is a good boyfriend.

HAWAII FIVE-0 FICS

Can't Help DNA (5146 words) [mcdanno]:

The first time that Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams meet, Danny Williams is not holding a weapon. He has his hands in fists and Steve’s skin is singing in that way it does whenever he’s around someone else with the SuperGene. Steve, for his part, is pointing a gun at Danny’s chest and screaming at him which probably isn’t helping the situation, but he’s not going to admit that. He’s shouting, and then Williams is shouting and they eventually get their IDs out without Steve shooting anyone and without Danny’s Gene flaring up. It’s a win in Steve’s book.

Situational Awareness (6461 words) [mcdanno]:

Steve McGarrett has a soulmark from the moment he’s born. He has a mark that his dad covers up when he’s a baby, an ugly black thing in the shape of knuckles splayed across his cheekbone. Danny Williams gets his mark a few months after he’s born. There’s a black smear across the back of his hand and down two fingers and Danny dreams of the day his soulmate will touch him for the first time and set the mark alight with color. Steve McGarrett grows up hating his soulmark, Danny Williams dreams of the day he'll meet his soulmate. Somehow, against all odds, they find each other.

Things Unseen (15206 words) [mcdanno, bg konocat]:

Steve's known almost his whole life that his anchor was going to be one of the Kelly-Kalakaua family, the only ones strong enough to tie him to the Seen when he needed to talk to a spirit. What he did not know was how important a cop from Jersey who doesn't believe in ghosts would end up being. In which Steve and Kono are peak mlm/wlw solidarity, Danny is a wreck, Chin is tired and there are some ghosts.

[amarabliss]

Eia Au, Eia ‘Oe ~ Here I am, here you are - 9 (Steve McGarrett/Twin Sister & Danny Williams/Reader)

Just a things begin to return to normal again after Steve’s arrest and escape, Steve’s twin sister comes walking into their lives McGarrett style dropping an emotional bomb. Danny is intrigued finding it hard to resist that McGarrett charm, finding it irresistible in ways he never thought possible…

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six* Part Seven Part Eight

*Contains music you must listen to, to better set the mood…Trust me…

You sat in the car as the plane rolled around to park, texting Kono about her condition and Chin’s state. You couldn’t believe what occurred in the last 24 hours actually happened.

“Danny, you should have said something sooner.” You frowned looking at him sitting on the counter across from you in the McGarrett kitchen.

“It doesn’t make a difference either way.” He told you before taking another bite off of the plate in his hands, “Rachel and I have to go to court to determine this.”

“But it’s Grace…” You frowned already worried for him, “She wouldn’t really take her away from you would she?”

Danny stared at you feeling several things all at once. First the idea of losing Grace, making a lump form in his throat. Then the warmth of your concern for his baby girl and himself. He swallowed setting the plate down and hopped off the counter.

He stepped over to you putting his hands on top of your legs before resting his forehead against yours. He stared into your eyes as he spoke softly, “I don’t know. Things are not…healthy between Rachel and I. I’d like to think that she’d put Grace before her new husband’s job, but I really don’t know…”

He smiled when you took his head into your hands, “I have got a lot of free time. I’m going to do a bunch of research…and we’re going to make sure Grace stays.”

If that wasn’t enough to worry about, then Danny got several phone calls. His worry only got worse with each one before he finally told you that Malia had been killed and Kono nearly drowned. You called Steve immediately telling him that his family needed him now and this Shelburne could wait.

You never got a response, and figured it was a tower issue. Regardless, you were sitting at an airfield because Danny didn’t like the idea of his people being targeted and knew Wo Fat wouldn’t hesitate to use you against Steve.

You looked over as your brother disembarked the plane. It was always a show watching him and Danny talk. You glanced behind them at another person coming down the plane's stairs and instantly felt a hitch in your throat as she stopped next to Steve.

You opened the door to the Camaro and stood up when Danny looked over to you. The woman put her hands to her mouth and took a step to come toward you, Steve thankfully put an arm out stopping her.

He finished his conversation with Danny before striding over to you, “Y/N…”

You looked at him silent. You didn’t know how to feel in this moment. You didn’t know how to process what you were seeing. Finally, you spoke the question, “Why?”

Steve sighed seeing you begin to tear up. All the years you missed out on because you were forced to grow up faster in order to help with Mary. All of the opportunity to be a different person just began to well up inside of you, “You’ll have to ask Doris yourself because I’m not sure I even believe her answer.”

You nodded slowly wiping a hand over your face, “Okay…uh…we should go. I already set up a house for Shelburne…figured you’d want to set up your own detail.”

“Good.” He nodded pulling out his phone waving Danny and Doris over, “This will give me more time to try and smooth everything over for Chin.”

You nodded again looking at Doris trying to come over to you quickly. You glanced at Danny who looked at you concerned before you ducked into the backseat of the Camaro.

Doris frowned and looked at Steve, “She hates me too?”

“…we don’t hate you…” Danny heard Steve begin as he also got into the backseat with you.

You sat behind the passenger side seat to maximize the least view of yourself when Doris would get in. Danny sighed looking at you, “You alright?”

You swallowed shaking your head before you looked at him a tear trailing down your cheek, “You think I would be…but I just….”

You stopped when Doris opened the door to get in. Danny frowned reaching over giving your elbow a gentle squeeze. It was all he could do, you both decided until everything settled down it would be best to keep their blooming relationship to themselves.

The drive was…awkward, as Steve began trying to smooth everything out with the governor. It didn’t sound like it was going well for him. You kept your gaze out the window mostly trying to avoid any interaction with any one.

Then it happened... Doris began digging. Something your mother was always good at, “I remember Chin Ho Kelly. He was a few grades ahead of the twins in school. Was a good boy.”

You glanced at Danny setting his jaw a little, he was taking this personally, “Good boy turned into a good cop.”

“Losing his wife like that just makes me think of their dad, you know, just what he must have gone through.” Doris looked back at him glancing down at his hand moving away from yours to his lap.

Danny smirked a little as he began to jab back at her, “Yeah, well, a good thing for Chin is that he doesn't have any kids that are gonna be asking, ‘Why isn't Mommy coming home?’”

Doris turned to him fully her eyes narrowing on his face, “You married?”

“Uh, no, not anymore.” Danny cleared his throat a little.

“Kids?” She pressed him.

“I do, I have a daughter named Grace. Uh, best thing that came out of my marriage.” Danny smiled a little mention his daughter.

Doris smirked a little, “You ever think about going for round two?”

He let out a soft huff glancing away before looking her in the eye, “I'd actually rather get kicked in the face with a golf shoe.”

“Hmm, so, what, you've taken a vow of celibacy or?” Doris spoke quickly.

Danny glanced at you shaking his head a little, “No, I didn't say that. Uh, I am seeing somebody. Just-- we're just taking it very slowly.”

“Yeah, well, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?” Doris smirked staring him down again.

“Doris!” You snapped at her as Danny began to speak over you.

“This is getting very personal, don't you think?” Danny felt his ears begin to get hot.

Doris ignored you both pressing him more, “Don't you want your daughter to see you in a healthy relationship?”

“Oh, because you’re the prime example of parenting?” You snapped at her finally getting her attention fully.

“I agree, respectfully, I don't think you are in a position to be giving me parenting advice.” Danny backed you up.

Doris didn’t take her eyes off you for a moment before returning to Danny, “You know what I think, Danno? I think that you're afraid of commitment.”

He shook his head as he began get the sense that your mother was very perceptive, “That's incorrect, uh, and I prefer Danny.”

“Oh, really? 'Cause that's not what I heard my son call you. He must think you like it.” She smiled at him.

“Doris…” Your voice was low as your fist balled up.

“Oh, he thinks a lot of things that aren't true. He's delusional, actually, which, by the way, no offense to the gene pool.” Danny looked to you as your mom’s mouth dropped opened offended, “I'm sure he's just a one-off.”

The rest of the trip was driven in a tense silence. You waited for your mother to get out and follow Steve inside before you looked to Danny, “I…”

He held up his hand and smiled at you as he shook his head, “Are you okay?”

You stared at him feeling your nose begin to tickle again as tears began to well up, “…I think you know the answer…”

“Yeah…Yeah I do.” He frowned glancing out the window to Steve and Doris on the porch talking to a few officers, “I now see where your brother gets it all from.”

You laughed a little nodding, “Yeah, he was definitely a mama’s boy…and I was daddy’s girl.”

“You obviously benefited more than Steve did.” Danny smiled when you laughed again. He was going to do everything he could to make you feel more at ease, “How are you feeling though?”

You sighed deeply, “Tired…really tired.”

“Okay…let’s get you inside so you can get some rest.” He looked at you with concern, “No matter what, take care of yourself first. Call me for anything, alright?”

You let him worry over you until he and Steve left. You sighed letting it roll out of your nose slowly as you watched your mother talking to Catherine, “This…sucks…”

You let them do their thing and kept to the back of the house in the kitchen. You rubbed your temples slowly in circular motions trying to ease the head ache that was coming on. You opened your eyes when you heard someone walk into the room, “You want some Tylenol?”

You stared at Doris and shook your head, “Can’t take it right now…”

“Oh…” Doris moved over to the stove picking up a kettle, “are you…expecting?”

“What?” You looked at her surprised and shocked.

“Well…I just…”

“No mom, I’m not pregnant…” You stood up to leave.

“So now I’m mom?” You stopped as she started to fill up the kettle.

You clenched your jaw turning to her, “…what do you want from me?”

Doris looked at you, “I thought…well I don’t know what I thought. I never anticipated any of this…but I didn’t expect you to be so…so…”

“Angry…mom, I’m angry. You left us…” She started to defend herself but you stopped her, “I don’t care…I really don’t, but I also don’t need your help. I don’t want it…”

You turned again seeing Catherine in the hall. You started to walk toward her causing her to step in the way. She crossed her arms looking at you with pity, “Y/N…”

“Move Rollins…” You whispered to her.

“Your brother…” She started to speak.

“Doesn’t need to send you to babysit me…just focus on mommy dearest and leave me alone. I’m only here because Steve thinks Wo Fat might come after me too…and I can handle myself…” You brushed past her, “Kamekona is dropping by…when he gets here let me know…he has my meds.”

You walked upstairs to a room laying down on one of the beds. Apparently, everything wiped you out because you only woke up again to guns shots ringing through the house. You dropped to the ground facing the door the bed the only thing between you and everything else. Your heart was beating so quickly it felt like it was trying to jump from your chest.

Finally, you moved running out seeing Catherine sweeping your mother’s room, “Mom?”

“Baby?” You moved into the room as she moved over to you pulling you into a tight embrace as sirens could be heard outside, “I’m okay…”

“Mom! Y/N!” Steve rushed into the room seeing the both of you embracing and didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the both of you protectively, “Are you alright? Are you both alright?”

“We’re fine…” Doris told him before looking at you, “We’re both okay…”

“Steve…” Danny came into the room locking eyes with you as he spoke, “no sign of Wo Fat…”

You nodded toward him a little seeing relief spread through his face. Steve started to bark some orders as more officers came into the room. This day saw no relief of rushed events and soon you were saying goodbye to your mother.

“Y/N…” Doris took a deep breath looking at you.

“You need to go.” You crossed your arms indicating to her that you were still not okay with everything, “Steve’s right, it’s not safe here for you.”

Doris sighed looking over to your brother and Danny standing at Steve’s truck, “Your brother isn’t always right, you know?”

“No, but I usually am.” She looked at you as you stared at her with a strong expression, “I worked in intelligence too, guess I’m more like you then everyone thought…we both know that Steve is right.”

Doris frowned reaching up pushing some hair out of your face, “But what if I want to stay to take care of you…”

You swallowed looking down, “I don’t-I don’t need…”

“I know how sick you are…I saw the medications…” Doris whispered to you, “Does your brother know?”

You nodded a little, “Yeah…”

“And Danny?” Your eyes met her’s as she smiled at you, “I’m not that old…your brother might not be able to see it, but then again he always did need things spelled out for him.”

“He knows…enough…right now.” You whispered looking toward Danny and Steve, “I know…how it looks…”

“As long as you’re happy and he doesn’t hurt you…” Doris pulled you into a hug rubbing your back as she did, “Then I won’t have to come back and kill him in his sleep.”

You laughed a little hugging her back before pulling away, “Maybe…maybe one day we can figure this out. When everything isn’t so stupid.”

“I love you baby girl. I always have…always.” Doris frowned as she stepped away. Danny smiled saying goodbye as he walked past and Doris very quickly and quietly slipped to him, “Do not hurt her.”

You watched Danny pause on the walkway glancing back your mother before resuming his walk to you a concerned look on his face, “She…”

“Oh yeah, she knows.” You nodded a little watching her and Steve drive away, “I’m not sure if it’s a spy thing or a mom thing…”

He laughed nervously and reached down taking your hand in his. You were finally alone with him and he knew he was finally able to give you the comfort you so desperately had wanted from him all day, “I’m gonna have to figure out how to tell your brother soon.”

“Oh yeah?” You laced your fingers with his, “Why’s that?”

“ ‘cause this feels too right…” He pulled your hand up to his mouth kissing the back of it, “and I want to be able to do it whenever I want.”

[thoughtlesstales]

Finally He Comes Home, Chapter Five

Title: Finally he comes home, Chapter Five Word Count: 1035 Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve McGarrett x Kono Kalakaua Characters: Steve McGarrett, Kono Kalakaua, Chin Ho Kelly, Danny Williams Triggers: Pregnancy, missing presumed dead 

POV CHANGE

“You really gotta go home man.” Steve looked up to sleepy voice of one Daniel Williams and winced when he saw the look on his face. “It’s five am, you’ve woken the wife and do you realize the world of pain I’m in because you’ve woken her?” Danny hissed dropping himself into the seat beside Steve.

“No, I wouldn’t know would I?” Steve countered setting his peeled but uneaten pear on the table, leaning back in his seat as he watched Eve in the kitchen moving around. He felt guilty for waking her, he knew she was having trouble sleeping as it was.

“Okay, wrong choice of words, but my statement is still reality babe. You need to go home, you need to sort things out with Kono and you need to go back to your damned house and raise your son with her, because I know you still love her and she’s never stopped loving you okay? Go. Home.” Danny’s last words were punctuated around the sips of coffee he drank, before he finished draining the mug.

“I know alright.” Steve sighed scrubbing at his face with his calloused palms. “I know I love her and she loves me and we have a son that I want to raise with her, but I -”

“But you what?” Danny interrupted narrowing his gaze to Steve. “You can’t look past the fact she never told you she was pregnant?” Danny finished eyeing his partner. “You’re pissed I get it, I would be too if Eve never told me she was carrying our child, headed back to Jersey and raised them for four years before I turn up to win her heart back -”

“Better take you less than four years babe or we have problems.” Eve’s voice called through from the kitchen, putting a smile on both Steve and Danny’s face as she came in with the pot of coffee, refilling Danny’s mug and then Steve’s before taking her own seat at the table. “Big problems.”

“Obviously it wouldn’t take me four years.” Danny breathed soothing his wife with a grin. “But I get it Steve, I can’t imagine the pain it’s caused you coming home to find out everything, but it’s been no walk in the park for Kono or any of us either. We thought you were dead babe? Kono was the last of us that was holding onto the fact you might just be missing and not dead. We grieved, but we moved on with our lives as well. Kono couldn’t and she nearly killed herself with the guilt she had for not telling you.” Danny explained softly, Steve watched his hand absently linked with Eve’s when rested her hand upon his. “Ask Chin, she was prepared to tell you when she called, she had the sonogram picture in hand and everything, christ I was there when she scared the life outta me fainting at the hospital, prime place mind you, but still heart stopping watching her hit the deck.” Steve’s lips curled with a small smile as he watched his partner shudder at the apparent memory.

“What Danny is trying to say.” Eve pushed in, rolling her eyes at her husband’s lack of storytelling skills. “Kono’s paid the price over and over for not telling you, for months she believed karma or whatever had issued justice by taking you away for her not telling you, for months she was blaming herself for you going missing, when we say she’s driven herself into the ground and barely got back up, it’s no joke or expression of speech.” The words Eve spoke hit Steve hard, he hadn’t thought about that, honestly he hadn’t thought much past finding out he had a son. “We can’t force you to go home, and you’ll always have a place here Steve, but it’s not where you belong.”

She was right, what was it with the women and Chin in their lives always being right. “You’ve done well there Danno.” Steve grinned, playing off the seriousness of the conversation, even though it was in the forefront of his find he needed some time alone to think about what he was going to do. Steve watched Danny agree under the watchful and amused gaze of Eve and he couldn’t have been happier to see Danny so happy. He seemed truly in love with the woman and Danny certainly needed that happiness.

POV CHANGE

Kono had folded herself behind her desk, scribbling furiously across pieces of paper she would file for her case reports. Danny had the finesse of writing their reports, Kono, much to his disappointment had taken on Steve’s tact for writing them and as a result all her reports had to be checked by either him or Chin for things like; “Bad guy went bang.” She looked up when her door swung open expecting to see the blonde bugging her for the report that was already late, instead it was her husband and that surprised her. “Hey.” The greeting was quiet as she looked up at him from where she sat.

“Hey.” Steve stood in front of her, hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. “Did you want to get dinner - or something?” He asked finally settling and looking back at her, his piercing blue gaze catching hers. Her breath hitched and the widest smile split across her features.

“I’d like that.” Kono nodded setting her pen down and folding her hands together. “I could cook?” She offered. Being at home would be better, they could really talk and it gave them the privacy they wouldn’t get in a restaurant.

“I’ll cook, I remember your cooking.” Steve grinned, a real smile from ear to ear. Kono went to protest, she wasn’t that bad anymore, however her cooking didn’t match her better halfs. She conceded and nodded in agreement, her amused frown creasing her brow. “Think Danny and Eve will have John?” He asked looking back just as Danny started a rant in the bullpen, Chin throwing his hands up in the air.

“Yeah, he’ll take John, Eve has him tomorrow anyway.” Kono explained softly with a nod. She would stuff Danny in the boot of his car until he agreed to take John for the night, Eve wouldn’t be a problem.

[recentanimenews]

Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! ~The Contract Couple’s Happily Ever After~, Vol. 9

By Tsuredurebana and Rin Hagiwara. Released in Japan as “Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai! ~Keiyaku Kara Hajimaru Wedding~” by ArianRose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

And so we finally get to the end of this series, with six main volumes and three After Story volumes. This is the last of the After Stories and has the least amount happening, as there’s not even a crisis to solve this time, like the mystery from the previous book. This volume has two main plotlines: 1) finish telling Lettie the story of how she was born, which this time does actually involve her birth, and 2) celebrate the kingdom’s founding day, which sounds remarkably like Christmas but is done at the height of cherry blossom season. Mostly what this volume shows off is how comfortable and happy everyone is now, and that all of the conflict and drama from earlier books has been dealt with. The only remaining issue is Viola’s constant self-image issues, which I know the author thinks of as a cute running gag but never fails to irritate me – and everyone else in the household too, judging by their reaction to her worry that Lettie will inherit her looks.

As noted, the first half of the book shows the days leading up to Viola giving birth and the weeks after it. This includes some false labor brought on by insisting on weeding while nearly due to give birth, and also a relatively quick and easy labor – much to Viola’s surprise, as from her perspective she thought it took forever. Lettie is surrounded by adoring family and servants, so the question is how is she not going to grow up spoiled, really. Viola will help there, I expect. The second chunk of the book has the mansion preparing for Flur Day, the aforementioned Christmas equivalent. A strong windstorm may put paid to some of the festivities, but otherwise there’s a relative lack of anything going on here – the main drama stems from everyone trying to get out of hearing the King’s speech again so that they can get to the truly important thing a week later – Lettie’s first birthday.

There is still the occasional reminder that there is ever present danger in this world – Viola is given a number of mazes to memorize and complete, and only after she’s done so does she realize that they’re a layout of the mansion and the royal palace, complete with secret passages and hidey-holes, if she ever needs to escape like she has in previous books. But for the most part this is a victory lap, and it even ends the way a lot of these books do – with Viola discovering she is pregnant with her second child. As I’ve noted before, this continues to be a surprise to me as Viola has not, through all nine volumes, ever really shown any sexual desire towards her husband. Even when given an obvious opportunity, such as coming in to “get warm” after a nighttime cherry blossom viewing, all they do is have cocoa. It’s very pure.

So yes, this book is also a bit boring, but I’ll take that over the classist nonsense some of the main series did. In the end, this was a flawed but fun series, and I really hope one day it hits Viola that she’s gorgeous.

By: Sean Gaffney

[fandomoniumflurry]

Commander Daddy pt 2

Steve McGarrett x Stacie McGarrett(ofc)

Second part of @supergirl000983 request!

Just some daddy!Steve fluffiness

**gif not mine**

H50 Tag Team:  @loveisfriendship  @t-w-hiddlestoner @givemelifeorgiveme @goldkhator @a-court-of-stydia

This wasn’t planned at all. They had the perfect life, no need to add to it. Steve was retired, the restaurant was thriving, the kids were at the age to go to school, make friends, go to birthday parties, have sleepovers, and most importantly feed and dress themselves. The diaper phases were gone, the early morning and late night feedings were all a thing of the past. They had gotten rid of all the baby toys, the cribs, the clothes, the bottles, the breast pump, it was all gone because they didn’t plan on anymore kids.

And yet here they were. Steve sat shirtless at the end of his bed, his hands resting on his thighs as he stared straight ahead in a daze. The sun hadn’t even come up yet and he definitely hadn’t had any coffee yet to help him deal with this. Stacie had gotten up again to rush to the bathroom earlier, which she had been doing a lot of lately. They were suffering from the lack of sleep already, thinking that she was coming down with the flu or something. They worried about spreading it to the kids so they had been taking every precaution to sanitize everything and keep the kids out of as much contact with germs as they could.

This time when Stacie had come out of the bathroom, she wore a fearful frown on her face. She was almost too timid to come out fully into the bedroom and her worried husband slid from the bed. “What is it, honey?” He had asked, taking her hands in his. Her eyes remained glued to the floor as she let out a shaky breath. This only caused Steve to panic, his heart racing in his chest. “You’re scaring me, babe, what’s going on?” When her eyes lifted, they were wet with unshed tears. “Please, talk to me.” He begged as he tried to hold back his fear.

“I think I’m pregnant.” Her voice came out as a breathless whisper and the moment the words left her lips, Steve’s eyes grew. His racing heart stopped in that instant.

“Pregnant...But--” He swallowed when he remembered the conversation they had about him getting a vasectomy. But they had never gotten it done. They thought they had been careful, taking precautions not to let this happen again. But they were both stunned by these turn of events. He backed up and slowly sank down onto the end of the bed and she watched him closely. “How did this--” He couldn’t complete a sentence, too surprised to even form words.

Stacie came down on her knees in front of him, resting her hands over top of his. “I know we didn’t plan on this and I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.” A tear slid down her cheek as she looked up at the ocean hues of her husband. “It will be ok. I mean, it’s a surprise for sure but--”

His head fell, his fingers closing around her hands and linking their fingers. A soft sigh passed his lips before he caught her gaze. He’d be lying if he wasn’t absolutely terrified. He was getting too old for this. The salt and pepper stubble on his jaw and the wrinkles on his face were clear sign of that. Her on the other hand, still looked as young and as beautiful as she always had. And now that she was pregnant again, she had that familiar glow he always loved. How he had missed it, he would never know. The morning sickness, the fatigue, the glow. It all pointed to a baby.

“We can do this.” He finally stated with a curt nod of his head. “I love being a dad. And I love you. And I am more than happy to be bringing another life into this world.” A smile grew on his face and he watched as his wife’s eyes lit up with her bright smile. With a squeal, she leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck before he fell backwards on the bed with her on top of him. She peppered his face with kisses and he laughed as he squeezed his arms around her. “Come morning though, I’m making an appointment to get that vasectomy.”

“I’ll have to call Melissa and Tani to help me go baby shopping. Ooh, and I need to call Kono because she plans the best baby showers. Oh my god, I’ll have set up babysitters for the kids when we go to the hospital and I need to pack a bag.” As she continued to ramble on, Steve only laughed with a shake of his head. A hand came to the back of her neck and his lips against hers immediately silenced her.

“You are a crazy yet adorable mommy to be.” He grinned at her and she returned the expression before kissing him once again.

“Hopefully, it’s not twins again.” Both of their faces wrinkled at her suggestion, a shudder running through her body before they giggled. Her hands cupped his face as she stared lovingly into her husband’s eyes. “I can’t wait to have a baby with you again, Steve. You’re the best man I’ve ever known and I couldn’t imagine having children with anyone else.”

“I would hope not since you’re /my/ wife.” Her eyes rolled and she slapped his chest playfully. “But I can’t imagine a better mother to give birth to my children.” A content hum passed Stacie’s lips before they kissed once again, this time slow and easy.

Their moment was interrupted when their bedroom door opened. Their heads turned to see two little silhouettes darkening their doorway. They both smiled and Stacie rolled off of her husband to sit on the edge of the bed. Her hands reached out to beckon the twin boys forward and they both ran into their mother’s arms. Steve sat up with a smile, his hand rubbing up and down his wife’s back as he watched her converse with her children. She kissed them both and pushed them over to their father.

Steve hoisted the toddlers up onto each knee and bounced them lightly. Tears were dried on their cheeks, kisses from their mommy having made them stop and now daddy was there to make them laugh. Raspberries to their necks, tickles to their sides and a few pony rides on his knee later and they were squealing messes. Their yawns meant they were about to be sent off back to bed.

Stacie kissed her husband one last time after standing with a boy’s hand in each of hers. She promised her soon return then made her exit with their sons. Steve heaved a content sigh, his heart swelling, making his chest feel warm. Another child would only make their family more perfect.

[konokalakaua50]

@loudhaoleinatie

Kono picked at the imaginary lint off her blanket before looking at the clock.  Of course she didn’t need to look at the wall to know it was two hours past insane boredom.

She sighed as she grabbed the remote control and switched channels on the television.  Finally settling on a sitcom she tossed the controller aside and burrowed down into her blankets and pillows, her eyes drifting shut.

The rattle of keys and the turn of the lock was enough to make her ears perk up, even though she wasn’t ready to move.  She listened as her boyfriend entered the house, calling out a greeting as he moved towards the kitchen. 

Kono didn’t even bother giving a reply, still feeling somewhat petulant after being put on bed rest.  She’d begged and pleaded, stating she could work at HQ and help out at her desk, but Steve had been insistent that she remained at home, if not in bed.  And after four days of mandatory rest, she was sure she would lose her mind. 

Danny’s voice penetrated her thoughts as she felt the sofa shift.  The blankets shifted and she saw a pair of blue eyes and smiling face peering down into her cocoon.

She scowled.  It wasn’t his fault, well not technically.  And she knew it was unfair to take it out on Danny but the hormones told her otherwise.  He worked to pull the blankets away, causing her to sigh as he pulled her hands away so he could see her massive stomach. 

It had become a ritual of sorts, him putting his hands on her belly, leaning in to kiss it before kissing her lips.  She tried to stay angry, but the way his eyes always lit up, the gentle way he caressed her pregnant stomach, it always melted her heart. 

She gave a wry smile, “What’s it like out there in the real world?”

[geckogirl89]

The End of an Era

Fandom: Hawaii Five-0 (2010) Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny established relationship, but mostly focused on the Core Four friendship Rating: G Word Count: 1447 Notes: Set during the end of a fantasy season 8 where Chin and Kono are still present and Steve and Danny ended up together. Chin and Kono are leaving Hawaii, but not because of RL issues with the actors not getting paid enough. They're going as the natural conclusion I imagined for the show based on this post. The McDanno stuff is mostly just because this fic is already wish fulfillment, so I decided to fulfill all of my wishes.

Steve's beach had always been the central gathering place for the Five-0 ohana, and it was where the original members of the task force ended up a few hours after the end of Steve and Danny's wedding reception, after Lou had gone home with his family. Steve nostalgically recalled the group's first moment together on a different beach when Kono joined the team. It seemed appropriate that one of their last moments together would also be on a beach.

Everyone was still wearing their formal attire, but Kono had kicked off her sandals a few minutes ago and planted her feet in Chin's lap. The sun was setting, and the sight made Steve reminisce about the past year and how he had gotten to this point.

Kono and Chin had coincidentally begun to consider leaving Five-0 at about the same time. Kono had been deeply emotionally impacted by that case with the sex trafficking ring of underage girls, and her determination to do something about it had only increased after she became pregnant with her daughter Kaimana, who had been born a month ago. Chin had received a job offer in San Francisco that would involve a step up in his career, a pay raise, and would give Abby a chance to be near her family again since she would probably move with him.

As proud as Steve was that Chin and Kono were moving forward with their lives, he had been apprehensive about the coming changes and knew that he would miss both of them. He had also been worried in the back of his mind that Danny might also consider leaving, so he asked him about it.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," Danny had told him with a grin. "After all, I need to put that chef's hat you gave me to good use. I think Hawaii has more room for a new Italian restaurant than New Jersey does."

Steve and Danny laughed at the joke, and then Danny had glanced away at his desk. "Besides, it's not like I could ever leave you anyway."

For some reason, that moment had seemed different to Steve than all of the previous moments of Danny telling Steve how much he meant to him. Perhaps it was the vulnerable quality in Danny's voice or the fact that he couldn't meet Steve's eyes. Whatever the reason, Steve turned Danny's face towards his and kissed him before he could talk himself out of it. Danny kissed him back, and everything had slotted into place with remarkable ease.

Three months of a whirlwind courtship later, and Steve and Danny had gotten married in Steve's backyard earlier that day with friends and family in attendance. Steve had been holding Danny's hand for the past hour, and that alone was enough to make him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. The fact that they were actually married was a dream come true.

Kono's sigh pulled Steve out of his wandering thoughts. She was staring out at the horizon, where the sky had turned pink and purple as the sun set over the ocean. "I'm really gonna miss this," she said.

"Me too," Chin agreed.

A pause ensued, and solemnity touched the group for the first time that day. Steve decided to break the tension.

"I'm sure the sunset will be nice in Arizona too. Those pictures of Sedona from that brochure you had on your desk looked really nice."

Kono shook her head and let out a giggle. "God, it's going to be weird not having a boss who goes through his employees' stuff all the time. Hell, it's going to be weird being the boss." Kono would be leaving next week to lead a federal task force to combat sex trafficking headquartered in Phoenix. Steve couldn't be prouder of how far she had come from the rookie fresh out of the police academy that he had met eight years ago.

Chin took a sip of his beer and then closed his eyes contently. "When you come out to visit me in California, we'll have to hit the beach."

"Definitely. I guess I'll have to take up something other than surfing soon. Maybe I could try rock climbing."

It was strange to imagine Kono only surfing on vacation, but Steve could picture her hiking on a desert landscape and smiled at the thought. Steve had always enjoyed hiking, and he would gladly do it with Kono when Steve and Danny visited her in the future.

Danny chuckled and Steve glanced over at his new husband to see him looking fondly at Kono. "I could picture you hiking the Grand Canyon or whatever. Not sure how you'll get used to the heat though. As tropical as this place is, Arizona can be like an oven in the summer."

Kono shrugged. "I think I'll be able to handle it. After all, you got used to life here."

Danny looked down and grinned, and Steve was reminded of the first time he ever sat with Danny on this beach and how that same gesture had made his heart skip a beat. The same thing happened this time, and his heart beat faster when Danny squeezed his hand.

"I guess so," Danny replied in a soft tone of voice. "A lot can change in eight years."

"Yeah," Chin said. "I never pictured you going without a tie to your own wedding."

"Much less wearing slippahs," Kono teased. "On the beach."

"Well, it's all about compromise. If it was just Steve's decision, I'm sure he'd be wearing cargo pants or board shorts."

Everyone laughed at Danny's joke, including Steve, who didn't mind being the target of his husband's humor. Eventually the laughs died down, and Chin cleared his throat.

"I'm really glad I stuck around for this." Chin had made sure that the date of his new job would be pushed back two weeks, which enabled him to attend Steve and Danny's wedding.

"We're glad too," Steve told him.

Kono wiped at her eyes, and when she pulled her hand away she was beaming. "It's good that we got to see you guys get married. Now you actually are an old married couple instead of just acting like one."

Memories flickered through Steve's mind of all the moments he had shared with Danny over the years. Chin and Kono had been there for many of those moments as well. With the wave of affection that Steve felt, especially for his new husband, he took his hand out of Danny's so that he could wrap his arm around Danny's shoulders instead.

Danny leaned into Steve's touch and looked over at Chin. "There's been a lot of weddings this year. First you and Abby and now me and Steve."

"Weddings and babies," Kono remarked. "It's been quite a year."

"It kind of feels like the end of an era," Steve said.

For a moment, everyone reflected on Steve's statement. The wind whistled through the trees, and the sky darkened as twilight approached.

Chin looked directly at Steve and Danny with a serious expression. "In a way, I guess it is. But even though Kono and I are leaving, I don't think we'll ever stop being ohana."

"And, as ohana, Chin and I will keep in touch with you guys after you leave," Kono promised. "Considering all that we've been through over the years, I'm pretty sure nothing could tear us apart at this point."

"Well, that's a call for a toast if I've ever heard it." Danny held out his glass and the others raised their drinks as well. "To us."

Steve, Chin, and Kono repeated the sentiment and clinked their glasses together. After everyone took a sip of their beverage, Steve gazed at the sky, where the stars were just beginning to appear. The day was ending, and an important time in their lives was coming to a close as well. Steve returned his attention to the group as Danny started to recount the time he and Steve had gotten handcuffed together, much to Chin and Kono's amusement. Steve watched Chin leaning forward to listen intently to Danny, Kono smirking as she imagined the scenario, and Danny's expansive hand gestures as he narrated the story. As he took in the image, Steve felt a profound sense of peace in the certainty that Chin was right.

The people he was with had become far more than his co-workers or friends. Chin and Kono were his family, and Danny was the love of his life. No matter what happened, they would always be ohana, and nothing, not time or distance or anything else, could ever truly separate them.

[mymcdanno]

Fic: Love, Danny (1/?)

Summary: McDanno AU based on the movie Love, Rosie.

Author note: This took me forever, but I had fun writing it so I really hope you guys enjoy it! This first part might be a little confusing for the ones who haven’t seen the movie, but I’m hoping it will all make sense with the next few chapters! Please let me know what you think :)

Danny faintly heard the clinking noise of a fork hitting a glass, a clear sign from Kono that it was now time for his speech. Reluctantly he stood up, trying to pull himself together and out of his thoughts, looking over the other wedding guests who were now already watching him.

Steve, the love of Danny’s life and his best friend since they were five years old, smiled up at him from his seat beside the woman who was now his wife. As much as it pained him Danny managed to smile back, because he had to. He had to keep up the act, let them know that this had to be one of the happiest days of his life, no matter how much it actually hurt him or crushed his heart into what felt like a million tiny little pieces.

**

12 years earlier, Danny’s 18th birthday party

The music at the bar was loud, one of Danny’s favorite songs playing while he dragged Steve out to the dance floor. Tonight had been so amazing and he’d never felt so free before. It was like he could do whatever he wanted, and yeah, it might be the tequila shots, but he just really needed Steve to be closer right now so Danny pulled him in until their foreheads were touching.

They were in their own little world, the people around them forgotten as they moved together, the music taking over. There was nothing standing between them now, and when Danny looked into Steve’s eyes something changed. All it took was one look down at Steve’s lips, then up again, and then Steve was closing the small gap between them. Everything that had been building up between them all those years snapped.

They kissed, fucking finally, and Danny moaned softly when Steve’s hand slid into his hair. The moment lasted for what seemed like forever, and they only pulled away when they needed to breathe, still staying as close as possible. The way Steve was looking at him, like this was all he’d ever wanted in his whole life, it was overwhelming. Danny needed to do something, to show him that he felt the same, that-

Danny slid on the slightly wet floor and fell down, the alcohol finally getting to him as he passed out.

**

The morning after was dreadful. Danny woke up with an awful headache and he groaned, hiding his face in the pillow. No way was he going to drink like that ever again, ever.

It was then that he heard the voices downstairs, recognizing Steve’s voice instantly as he talked to Danny’s mom. He heard the footsteps as Steve made his way up to Danny’s room, the door opening very slowly.

“Why’s everybody shouting?” Danny mumbled, making Steve chuckle as he sat down on the bed. “God, I’m so embarrassed about last night,” he continued.

“Well, no, y- you don’t have to be,” Steve answered carefully.

“It was awful, I behaved so badly. Oh, I feel sick even thinking about it.”

There was only silence for a few moments before Steve answered, but Danny didn’t notice it. “About... which part?”

“All of it. It never happened, okay? Steve, you can’t tell anyone.”

“.... right.” Steve said quietly, suddenly looking very busy with his hands.

“How did we even get home from the hospital?” Danny finally said, sitting up.

“My parents came to get us. And now they’re saying I’m a bad influence.”

“Well, you are,” Danny teased, smirking at him.

“Am not! Come here,” Steve shouted as he tackled Danny down on to the bed, and they tickled each other as their laughter filled up the room.

**

After that, life became almost normal again. Almost.

Steve had accepted the fact that Danny didn’t want to remember the kiss, decided to move on, no matter how difficult it was. He was just glad it hadn’t ruined their friendship. They’d been going on as normally as they could, even if Steve had to ignore the jealousy that flared up when he saw other people flirting with Danny. More often than not it was Rachel, a girl who went to their school who Steve didn’t like at all. That was the case at this very moment, the beach party they were at giving him very mixed feelings.

“Can you believe she invited me to the school dance?” Danny said, smiling as he sat down next to him, and Steve felt something turning in his stomach.

“Oh. Well, what did you tell her?” He asked, trying his best to sound like he didn’t care at all, busying himself with the stones on the beach.

“No, obviously. I’m going with you, you idiot,” Danny said, nudging his shoulder, which made Steve smile.

“Hi, Steve.” The voice above them made them both look up, Catherine towering over them, beautiful as always. She’d been hinting at Steve for a while now to ask her out, take her to the dance, and he thought maybe now he should. It might help with getting over Danny. “I missed you at the library today.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that, I’ve been very busy-”

“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” She smiled and her hair swung behind her as she walked away to sit with her friends.

“Wow, you’re awful at this,” Danny teased him, and they both chuckled.

“You know, she wants me to take her to the dance,” Steve said, testing the waters, seeing what kind of reaction it would get.

“Really?” They were quiet for a few moments, watching the sea, but Steve couldn’t read the expression on Danny’s face as he answered. “Well, take her. If it means that much to you.”

“But you would have no one to go with,” Steve tried.

“I got asked by the hottest girl in our year, Steve, I think I’m fine,” Danny said, the weird expression on his face gone as he smiled at him.

“What, so actually this is convenient for you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Okay, well. I’ll go ask her then,” Steve said, standing up, walking over to where Catherine sat with her friends. He didn’t dare look back at Danny. This had to work, he hoped. Please let this work.

**

The night of the school dance was about what Danny had expected, and he couldn’t help but feel weird as he watched Steve dancing with Catherine. They hadn’t talked as much recently, but the news had spread pretty quickly over the school - Steve wasn’t a virgin anymore. Neither was Danny, to be honest, but it made Danny feel something he didn’t quite understand. To try and make the feeling go away, he pulled Rachel even closer to him.

Steve ended up driving Danny home. The girls had gone to the after party to have fun with their friends, but Danny hadn’t really wanted to go. Steve, always ready to drop everything to help him, had offered to keep him company and they had finally talked for a little while after the others left. Things felt much easier between them now, more like the old days. Currently they were stopped in front of Danny’s house, but he didn’t get out just yet. The comfortable silence felt nice after the awkwardness of the last few months.

“What if we just- got out of here?” Steve said after a minute, turning his head to watch Danny.

“I think one of those burger places might still be open-”

“No, I mean out of here. Like, to another country, maybe. Somewhere we can learn what we’ve always wanted to, where you could take hotel management courses, where I could go to a good medical school...”

Danny was taken aback, and he studied Steve’s face for a while before he answered. “You- are you serious?”

Steve nodded. “You’ve always wanted your own hotel, right? Danny, you’re amazing. There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.”

Danny felt the joy spreading in his chest and then he was nodding too, a huge grin lighting up his face.

**

After a lot of planning, convincing their parents that they were in fact going to be okay, finding the right schools, the only thing left was waiting for the acceptance letters. Boston University was Danny’s first choice, while Steve was going for a scholarship to Harvard. It had been a tough few months, but if it worked out it would all be worth it, he thought.

**

Dear Mr. Williams, congratulations. We are pleased to offer you a seat at Boston University.

**

I’m pregnant.

No matter how many times he read the text from Rachel, Danny didn’t know what to feel. So many emotions were flowing trough him that it was hard to focus on only one of them. What was he supposed to do now?

To be continued...