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“All right, I have to admit, this is nice.” Danny leaned back on his elbows and looked around them, enjoying the view of the Bay from the park. It was a perfect October day, blue sky, not a cloud in the sky. Seventy degrees with a breeze and no humidity to speak of. Danny thought he could get used to weather like this.
The only thing he had to ignore was the tourists.
“I told you you’d like San Francisco.”
“Yeah. Well, I have nothing against San Francisco in general. I’m sure it’s a fine city. It’s just that— Seriously, San Francisco during Fleet Week? Don’t we get enough experience with tourists at home?” Danny waved an arm expressively, to include all the tourists surrounding them in the park.
Steve grinned and Danny shook his head at him. He looked like that whenever Danny referred to Hawaii as “home.” As if he hadn’t been living there for fifteen years now. “Best way to see Gracie in the near future. Her ship is here.”
“I know that, Captain Obvious, that’s why we are here. I’m just saying that I like it. In addition to the opportunity of seeing my daughter, I am enjoying our trip to San Francisco.” He turned more fully toward Steve, who was lying back on the grass, staring up at the sky. All these years and Steve’s genuine smile still made his stomach flip. He still looked pretty damn good, too. The smattering of grey at his temples when they’d first met had turned into a very nice salt-and-pepper (mostly salt at this point, Danny thought privately, but he wore it well) and Steve was just as trim and muscular as ever. Danny was a lucky guy.
He turned over the rest of the way and crawled toward Steve. “Hey, watch out for your knee, Danno.”
“I got it, babe. I just want to...” He sprawled half across Steve’s chest and messily landed a kiss on his lips. “That.” He grinned. “Thanks for talking me into coming. Not that I really would have passed up the opportunity to see Grace, but...thanks. This is great.”
Steve wrapped an arm around Danny and Danny settled more comfortably against him. Steve’s free hand came up to cup Danny’s jaw and Danny leaned into it briefly before claiming another kiss. Steve moaned quietly and opened up to him, letting their tongues tangle briefly, deepening the kiss before pulling back and looking at Danny, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You’re gonna miss the show.”
“I’m enjoying the show just fine.”
“The show is up there.” Steve gestured toward the sky. “Besides, do you want to make a spectacle of yourself? This is a public park.”
“Yes, Steven, I am aware that this is an air show—may I point out that there are, so far, no airplanes? I am also aware that this is San Francisco. I’m pretty sure they’re used to guys making out around here. What better way to pass the time while we wait?” He grinned at Steve, who was laughing at him. “Why do you enjoy winding me up so much?” Danny asked, shaking his head.
Before Steve could respond—also before they could resume making out—a loud roar came from somewhere behind them. In the next moment, a huge, old airplane, painted blue, flew right over the top of Ghirardelli Square, over their heads, and then out over the Bay.
“Looks like the show has started,” Steve said.
Danny swatted him lightly, then rolled over to watch.
-----
Following a bunch of text-messaged negotiations, they ended up at a nice Italian restaurant in North Beach. Grace met them just outside and gave both Steve and Danny the hugs they’d been looking forward to. Danny still couldn’t get over how grown up she looked in her uniform, and she’d learned that same poised stillness that Steve had. Clearly that was something that came out of Naval training, and wasn’t just some ninja-thing that Steve had picked up.
Over dinner, she told them tales of the time she’d spent on the ship so far. She’d graduated from Annapolis a couple of years ago and had already been through aviation rescue swimmer training. She was on her first ship assignment, based out of San Diego.
“So how are you guys liking San Francisco?” she finally asked her dads, looking from one smiling face to the other.
Steve glanced at Danny and grinned. “Love it. I’ve always loved San Francisco, and you might not believe this, but...” He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. “Danno here even admitted he was enjoying himself this afternoon.”
Grace laughed and Danny protested. “Hey! I’m not that difficult to please. And don’t you leer at me like that in front of our daughter, you.” He waved a finger at Steve. “I just— I don’t react well when things are sprung on me. Which, you know, is a constant in my life since I attached myself to you.”
Steve smiled at Danny, affection evident even as his voice was still teasing. “I know. Your first reaction to anything new is to object to it on principle. It’s okay, we’re used to it.”
Grace sort of coughed, clearing her throat quietly and both men turned to look at her again. “So...maybe now is a good time to spring something new on you guys.”
Danny tried not to look too stricken—the announcement, whatever it was, hadn’t even occurred yet—but it really was true that announcements made him immediately nervous. “Okayyy.” He glanced at Steve and saw an open, unguarded expression. Good thing one of them could react to changes with equanimity.
Grace hesitated, glancing between them again, but then jumped in. Danny could see the plea for understanding in her eyes, and it only made him more apprehensive. “So...I don’t know if you guys have heard that the Navy is now accepting female applicants to SEAL school...”
Danny’s mouth fell open and he started to protest without thought, but was interrupted by Grace’s raised hand, pleading for a chance to be heard, and Steve’s hand on his arm, asking him to wait. He closed his mouth.
“Dad, it’s probably one of the biggest honors I could achieve this early in my career, being accepted to SEAL school. I’d be among the first women to do it, and the thing is, I really think I could make it. I’m tough and strong. Stronger than a lot of the guys I graduated with. No small thanks to Steve for that.” She smiled in Steve’s direction. “Also, I’m already a trained rescue swimmer, which will have to give me a leg up on most of the guys applying for SEAL school.” Finally, she turned to face Danny with a fierce look. “I really want this. It’s important, not just for me but for all women. I could be the first one.”
Danny’s eyes filled with tears and he wasn’t entirely sure if it was pride or fear that was causing it. His baby girl was applying to SEAL school? “I...I don’t even know what to say. Rescue swimming isn’t dangerous enough? I— Really? You’re sure about this? Because you know you don’t have to do it just because he did.” He jerked a thumb in Steve’s direction. He still hadn’t looked at Steve because he didn’t think he could handle the pride he knew would be shining in Steve’s eyes. Yet. “He’s some kind of crazy ninja with a death wish.” He saw Grace open her mouth and continued, not letting her interject. “Yes, and I love him. I love you too, even if you are a crazy ninja at heart, like him.” He sighed, then got up and went around the table to give his daughter a hug.
“I’m proud of you, baby. You do what you feel you have to do. You will be a damn good SEAL if that’s what you are determined to be, and I will be the proudest father on the planet. I am the proudest father on the planet.” He squeezed her, then let her go, finally turning toward Steve. “You, on the other hand, are going to pay for this. Just you wait.”
Steve smirked at him and then got up to give Grace a hug, too.
Danny was going to have to make another big mental adjustment to this new view of his world. He couldn’t say he was happy about it, not yet, but he also couldn’t deny how important this was to his daughter and he was incapable of obstinance in the face of something she cared that deeply about.
-----
While they finished dinner and dessert, Danny stewed, although he kept a happy face on. As much as he was capable of, anyway, although he knew both Grace and Steve could read him like a book. He was determined to be happy for his daughter, he just— He just wasn’t ready to be yet.
They kissed Grace goodbye outside the restaurant and watched her walk away. They’d see her again before any of them left for home, but it didn’t matter how soon he was going to see her again; it was always hard watching her go.
After a moment, he turned to Steve and glared at him.
“Uh-oh.” Steve gave him a wide-eyed look.
“What have you done to my daughter, you madman?” He grabbed Steve by both biceps and shoved him roughly against a wall. “Wasn’t she playing with Barbie dolls when you met her? Wanted to be a Disney princess? What happened?”
“I— What— She’s amazing, Danny. You know she is. Maybe knowing me steered her course a bit—” Danny snorted, but Steve ignored him and continued. “But she’s her own person. She’s made her own choices, and I’m proud of her.” Steve struggled against Danny’s grip, but Danny wasn’t letting go.
“She wants to be a SEAL! What kind of craziness is that? A SEAL, Steven!” Danny finally released Steve’s arms, ran a hand through his hair, and then threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t even process this.”
“Danny—” Steve reached for him. Danny started to jerk away from him but then stilled and let Steve wrap his arms around his shoulders, drawing him close. Steve slouched down so they were nearly eye-to-eye and ducked his head the rest of the way to kiss Danny.
The kiss was slow and searching, almost tentative, like he was worried about how Danny was going to respond. Danny couldn’t have Steve acting like he thought his presence might be unwanted—no matter how confused and angry Danny might be—so he surged up into the kiss, pressing Steve into the wall behind him, burying one hand in the hair at the nape of Steve’s neck and the other in the front of Steve’s shirt, twisting the fabric in his hand until he was hanging on as if his life depended on it.
He put the anger and uncertainty he was feeling into the kiss, pressing his way inside with his tongue. Steve opened up to welcome him, wrapping his arms even tighter around Danny. When they drew apart slightly, Danny rested his forehead against Steve’s.
“I just...I don’t know how I would cope if something happened to her, babe,” he whispered.
“I know, Danno. I know,” Steve responded. He tilted Danny’s head up with a finger under his chin, until they were eye-to-eye again. “We can’t protect her from living her life, no matter how much we want to.”
Danny sighed. He felt helpless, powerless, but he knew Steve was right. His baby was fully grown and he was going to be proud of and support every choice she made. Even if it killed him.
“Let’s get out of here and see if you can make me forget all my worries.”
Steve grinned at that, leaned in to kiss Danny one more time, then stepped away from the wall, leading Danny with a hand on his hip.
They made it back to their hotel in record time, despite frequently ducking into shadows—and there were a lot of them, even on a busy, well-lit San Francisco street—to share a breathless kiss or grope.
When they reached their brightly-lit hotel lobby, they hurried through, avoiding eye contact or any other interaction with people, heading straight toward the elevators.
As soon as the elevator door closed behind them—thankfully, no one else had followed them into the elevator—Danny snaked an arm up around Steve’s neck and dragged him down for a kiss.
-----
“I like Fleet Week.” Danny smiled lazily at Steve. “Can we do this every year?”
Steve’s predatory grin was just the response he was looking for. Danny laughed when Steve hauled himself up to hands and knees and crawled over to Danny—how a man could make crawling on all fours look both ridiculous and ridiculously hot all at the same time was beyond Danny, but whatever, who was he to complain when that intensity was directed at him?—and settled himself carefully on top of Danny. “I think I could go along with that.”
Danny watched Steve search his eyes. “She’s going to be okay, Danny. She’s going to be brilliant.” He grinned earnestly.
Danny sighed. He found the ease with which Steve read his mind endearing, but it also annoyed the crap out of him. He was just a mass of contradictions, especially where Steve was concerned.
“I know, babe. I’ll get used to it.” He cupped Steve’s jaw with his hand, ran a thumb along his cheekbone. “I always do.”