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Lacing his running shoes, Steve stood and pressed his hands into the small of his back, working the kinks out of his spine as he straightened.
“C’mon D.” he called as he walked back into the office, closing the doors behind him.
“This is barbaric, you know that right?” Danny complained as he trotted down the internal stairs.
“It’s training, Danny. It’s hardly torture.” Steve chuckled as he folded himself almost double, his wrists around his ankles.
“It’s fucking barbaric. A it’s the weekend, b the sun has barely even found the horizon and c you overgrown health freak I’m not in that lush warm bed I just left.” He flopped onto the sofa and pushed his foot into a shoe.
“You were the one that said you wanted to do this Danno.” Steve grinned at him.
“No you bloody Neanderthal. I said I needed to keep an eye on you if you persist in doing this crazy shit.”
“You’re welcome to stay home and sleep, D.” Steve squatted in front of Danny and slapped his hands away, efficiently lacing the shoe that Danny had been fumbling with.
“And I told you I’m doing it with you.” Danny stood, throwing his arms over his head in a huge exaggerated yawn.
Steve grinned at Danny’s exaggerated display and leaned in to press a sloppy kiss to his open mouth. Danny moved into the kiss returning it before pulling away grinning.
“You are such an animal.” Danny smiled, resisting the urge to pull Steve back in. “I thought we were running?”
“Down to the park and then I’ll put you through your paces.” Steve grinned as he opened the front door.
“You just let me worry about my own paces, soldier boy.” Danny pushed past Steve and jogged slowly down the pathway backwards as he grinned at Steve. “You owe me breakfast at Liliha if I beat you there.”
Steve pulled the door closed behind him and loped off the porch onto the path beside Danny. “It’s Sailor, Danny, you know the one with the boats. And forgive me if I’m wrong but a bakery breakfast would defeat the purpose of the training wouldn’t it?”
“You let me worry about cross purposes, soldier boy.” Danny grinned and set off at a moderate pace, leaving Steve standing in his wake.
“Sailor.” Steve threw back at him before he set off, his long legs eating up the small advantage that Danny had gained.
They ran in silence, Danny dropping his pace slightly to stay level with Steve as they traversed the path, Steve’s pace slowly marginally as he tired. Danny questioned the sanity of their attempting this feat, be it for a good cause or not, but he already knew that stopping Steve from doing it would be like asking for snow on Kalakaua Avenue on the fourth of July weekend, so he just didn’t bother.
“Want to take a breather?” Danny asked as he pounded along beside his partner.
“No.” Steve gritted out, not out of breathing so much as aching all over.
“Too bad.” Danny huffed as he wheeled off towards the beach front and the park benches he knew were just around the point.
Steve had no choice but to follow Danny, stretching out and catching up as quickly as his aching body would allow him. Sweat beaded on his skin as he ran, the sun warming his skin as he concentrated on one step in front of the other. As he rounded the point he stopped dead in his tracks. Danny was not alone.
Lounging across the picnic table were his closest friends, all dressed in workout gear.
“What’s next, Boss?” Kono asked as she bounced off the table, a broad smile splitting her tanned face.
“What are you doing here?” Steve stood, panting lightly, his hands pressed on his hips.
“We took a vote.” Chin spoke as he stood.
“And we decided that we couldn’t let you have all the fun on your own, Commander.” Max responded.
“So you’re looking at the rest of your team.” Charlie stated.
“If you want us.” Adam shrugged.
“We hope that’s alright.” Cath asked.
Steve let his gaze travel around the faces in front of him, suddenly choked by emotion, then turned to look at Danny.
“Don’t look at me I tried to talk them out of it.” Danny shrugged before he moved closer to rub a supportive hand over Steve’s back.
“You know what you’re getting yourselves into don’t you?”
“Be assured they know that it’s not just adulation for their boss, or whatever, that is at stake here.” Danny grinned as Steve took a mock swipe at him. “Your position on the totem pole is at stake. We all want a shot.”
“A shot is it?” Steve raised an eyebrow at his partner.
“We figure you’re incapacitated, we all have at least a fighting chance now.” Chin added.
“You’re all on.” Steve pointed at them and set off running waiting to hear them all clambering off the table and running after him. “Keep up, if you can.”