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Steve’s phone rang.
He popped an eye open, noting that the sun was still a long way from coming up, then immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone.
“McGarrett,” he barked, expecting to hear some gory details about a crime scene.
That wasn’t what he heard.
And it made him even more nervous.
“Uncle Steve?” came a scared, little voice.
“Gracie? Gracie, what’s going on?” He asked as he groped around in the dark for a pair of pants.
“You know how you said I should call you if Danno was ever in trouble?”
“Yeah, of course I do. Is he okay? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, yeah.”
Steve breathed out a small sigh of relief.
“But I don’t think Danno is.”
So much for the relief.
He grabbed his shoes and keys and headed out the door.
“Where are you? What’s going on? Tell me everything.”
“We’re at home. He’s in the bathroom, I don’t think he’s doing okay.”
A million different scenarios raced through his head as he sped out of the driveway and headed for Danny’s place. “What do you mean, he’s not okay? Did you call an ambulance?”
“I’m…. not sure if he needs one or not.”
“What? Gracie, you need to tell me what’s wrong with your dad.”
“Here, listen.” There was a shuffling noise as Grace held the phone against the door. Steve could hear a lot of muffled retching and groans. Definitely not bleeding out. Still, that didn’t exactly put him at ease. “See? He doesn’t sound good, does he? Should I call an ambulance?”
“He doesn’t sound good, but I don’t think he needs an ambulance. Listen to me, Grace, are you listening to me? Good. I’m about five minutes away, I want you to go into the kitchen and get your dad a glass of water. Just wait for him to come out of the bathroom, he’s gonna need it. Tell him Uncle Steve says for him to get back to bed. You got all that?”
“Glass of water, Uncle Steve says get back to bed. Got it.”
“Good girl. I’ll let myself in, you just worry about Danno, okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Uncle Steve.”
Steve hung up the phone and floored it.
---
When Steve turned the lock with his key, he heard Danny shuffling back to bed and Grace ordering him to stop whining or she’d tell on him. Steve smiled to himself and locked the door behind him, only then realizing in his haste that he’d forgotten to grab a shirt as well.
Well, he didn’t think Danny would mind.
Grace, on the other hand…
“Uncle Steve!” she whispered as she tiptoed out of her father’s sickroom.
“Hey, Gracie, how’s he doing?” He resisted the urge to immediately check in on Danny, instead following her into the kitchen.
“He took the water, but I don’t think he drank any. Is he gonna be okay?”
“Don’t worry about him, kiddo, you go back to bed. I’ll take over from here.” Steve straightened up and snapped her a salute, which she smiled and and returned before heading off to her room. Steve took a quick glance in the bathroom, making sure there wasn’t anything too gross to clean up, before slipping into Danny’s bedroom.
He was immediately hit with the smell of sickness, that stench of sweat and puke and all kinds of grossness. He tried not to flinch, but the sound of a groan from the bed made him forget all about it.
“Grace,” Danny moaned from under his mountain of blankets. “I told you, leave me alone until Uncle Steve gets here, I don’t want you getting sick too, monkey.”
“And what happens if Uncle Steve gets sick, huh?” Steve tugged down the blankets and came face to face with a rather pale-looking Danny.
“If he gets sick, I’m pretty sure it’ll be the first time it’s happened since he was five.” Danny opened his eyes to look at him with a small grin, and when he saw exactly how dressed Steve was, his grin grew even bigger. “Of course, if being sick means he shows up shirtless like this, maybe I’ll do it more often.”
“Nice try.” Steve smacked his shoulder and sat down on the edge of the bed. He pressed the back of his hand to Danny’s forehead, checking his temperature. “Sick means no kissing, so no, don’t do it more often.”
Danny started to whine, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a coughing fit took over, one that wouldn’t stop until, with a hand from Steve, he sat up and took a sip of the water Grace had given him. He sunk back down into the bed with a grimace. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.”
“For once, I’m gonna have to agree with you. Nausea, fever, coughing, I’m thinking it’s the flu.”
“The flu? No, I don’t have time for the flu, Grace’s got a dance tomorrow night, I’m supposed to help her get ready, I’ve been practicing-” Danny suddenly cut himself off and pretended to have a coughing fit... which, of course, led to a real coughing fit.
“You’ve been practicing what?” Not even the real coughing fit could cover up that Danny was hiding something, and Steve wasn’t about to have pity and let it go.
“I’ve been practicing with the... with the nail polish, okay? Rachel’s out of town, and Kono so helpfully said I was on my own.”
Steve tried to hide his grin. “You were practicing what, painting your nails? Danny, what color are your toenails right now.”
“They are red, it’s a very classy color.”
“Yeah, well, classy or not, Grace isn’t allowed within twenty feet of you until you’re clear of this. So I’m gonna tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna stay here, I’m gonna get you some ibuprofen, bring that fever down, get you some electrolytes, keep you hydrated, gonna get you some salt water-”
“Salt water? What do I need salt water for?”
“You gurgle with salt water, it helps a sore throat.”
“I’m not gurgling.”
“You should gurgle, Danny.”
“I’m not gurgling, I’ll stick with the sore throat.”
“Danny!”
“Steve! No gurgling!”
“Fine, no gurgling. But you are drinking some garlic broth.”
“Garlic br- are you kidding me with this?”
“It’s an old McGarrett family thing. It’ll keep you hydrated, help with the congestion and the sore throat.”
“Fine, as long as it gets me out of the salt water.”
“It will. Now lay down and shut your trap. You need to rest.” Steve leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Danny’s forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit with supplies.”
Danny smiled and buried himself back under the covers. “Thanks, babe.”
---
Knowing that his partner was there to take care of things, Danny was able to actually rest. It was a fitful sleep, but that was better than no sleep at all. He woke up constantly, because of an ache or a cough or something else, and half the time, he immediately fell back asleep. But sometimes, he woke up enough to hear things. He heard Steve talking with Grace, asking her what she wanted to take for lunch that day. He heard Steve talking on the phone, telling Chin they’d be working off-site today. He even heard Steve telling him to sit up so he could take some medicine, but he tried not to listen to that.
It wasn’t until the afternoon he felt steady enough to even get out of bed on his own, and that was when he heard something again. He could tell from the voices that it was Steve and Grace, probably in the living room, but he couldn’t hear the words. He crept closer, hiding behind a corner to keep them from seeing him, and just listened.
“You know how I was a Navy S.E.A.L., Gracie?” Steve was saying.
“Yes, Uncle Steve.”
Danny tried not to snicker, but he could hear Grace’s exasperation. Of course she knew he was a S.E.A.L. People who’d known Steve for five minutes and didn’t even have his full name knew he was a S.E.A.L.
“You know what that means? That means I was trained in a lot of things. In hand-to-hand combat, how to fight with guns, with knives, all kinds of things. But you know what it all adds up to?”
“...that you can hurt people a lot of different ways?”
Again, Danny had to bite back a laugh - and the subsequent cough that came after it.
“Well... yeah, I suppose, but it also means I have very steady hands. Which also means I am awesome at putting on nail polish.”
Danny could just imagine the smile on Grace’s face. He risked a peek, and sure enough, Grace had her feet up on Steve’s lap while he was painting her toenails hot pink. They were laughing and talking, and Danny felt a tightness in his chest that had nothing to do with the flu. He snuck back to his room before they caught him - or before he passed out again, a very real possibility right now.
Besides, he didn’t want to be the reason Grace’s polish got smudged.
---
The sun had gone down by the time Danny woke next, and he wasn’t alone in the bed, either. Steve was passed out beside him, and while he’d unfortunately found a shirt, he hadn’t bothered to button it up. However, the longer he looked at his partner, the more he realized that Steve looked a little flushed. Cursing under his breath about infectious diseases, he pressed a hand to Steve’s forehead to check his temperature.
“I’m not sick,” Steve said, not bothering to open his eyes.
“Oh, excuse me for showing a little concern. It’s not like you to pass out at-” Danny glanced at the clock. “Seven at night. You survive on an hour of sleep every three days, don’t tell me that you’re not sick.”
“I was up all night taking care of you and then all day taking care of Grace and 5-0. I think I’m entitled to a little rest.”
“Of course you have, I’m just saying, you look a little feverish.”
“I’m not sick.”
“I’ll remind you of this in six hours when you’re puking your guts out.”
“I don’t puke.”
“Six hours.”
---
It wasn’t Steve who puked first.
And it didn’t take six hours.
Two hours later, while Danny was scarfing down some scrambled eggs - the first solid food he’d eaten in almost eighteen hours - there was a call from Kamekona. Grace had caught the bug, and was now quarantined in the nurse’s office. Luckily, none of the other kids at the dance seemed to be affected, but she needed to be picked up as soon as possible.
Steve ran every red light to get there before she puked all over her new dress.
It was a close call, but they did actually make it home and got her changed before she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door. Both men grimaced at the sounds within. Danny was at least feeling well enough to run her a bath while Steve stocked up her room with Gatorade, tissues, and a handy bedside bucket in case the bathroom was too far.
An hour later, she was tucked into bed with a dose of ibuprofen and a damp washcloth on her forehead. As they shut her door to let her rest, Danny couldn’t stop grinning at Steve.
Which Steve found a little unnerving. “What?”
“What what?”
“Your face, you got a look on it.”
“My face always has a look on it.”
“No, this look means I did something and you think it’s funny.” Steve did a quick once-over of the living room, double checking the door, then followed Danny to bed. “So just tell me what it is already.”
“It’s you,” Danny said, flicking the lights off as he went.
“It’s me?”
“Yeah, you and your Florence Nightingale routine. With the garlic broth and the wet washcloth and everything.” He all but collapsed into bed, the very last of his strength giving out. “It’s cute.”
“I’m not cute,” Steve huffed as he climbed in with him.
“You’re very cute, the only thing that would make you cuter would be a little candy striper uniform.”
“Don’t even think about it.”
“You can’t stop me,” Danny grinned as he curled into Steve’s chest.
---
Saturday came and Danny was officially cleared as no longer ill. To Steve’s great delight, this meant the potential for kissing had been reinstated, but to Steve’s great dismay, it never became a reality for one important reason: Grace was still sick as a dog.
She had been moved from her room to the living room, where both men could keep a better eye on her. Most of the time, she snoozed on the couch while they sat at the table and caught up on paperwork.
But for a few golden hours, she was awake and feeling well enough to watch a movie, sandwiched between the boys on the couch. Steve had his arm stretched out over the back, stroking the hair at the base of Danny’s skull. Mia had just found out she was the lost princess of Genovia when Steve and Grace heard a faint snoring from beside them and grinned at each other.
“Should I move him, or do you think you can handle it?” Steve asked.
“I’m sick, Uncle Steve!” Grace said as she snuggled into his side.
“So is that a no, or…?”
“Just watch the movie, they’re gonna start her princess lessons soon.”
“Oh, well, excuse me, princess lessons are more important.”
Steve had to admit, he had a whole new appreciation for diplomats after Queen Clarisse talked them out of a getting a ticket for crashing into a cable car, but when he looked down to comment to Grace about it, she was fast asleep with her head in his lap. He smiled to himself, running his fingers through her hair and enjoying this rare moment of peace and quiet. He was tempted to shut his eyes and join them in their nap, but there was an endless list of chores that he still wanted to get done.
He scooped Grace up in his arms so he could stand, then laid her back down on the couch, pulling a blanket over her and kissing her forehead. Her fever hadn’t broken just yet, but at least it didn’t feel like it was getting worse. He leaned over and kissed Danny’s forehead too, then shook his shoulder.
“Danny, hey, Danny. Come on, old man, no sleeping on the couch for you.”
“I’m not old,” Danny yawned. As he stood, he stretched and heard his back creak and pop. “Alright, maybe I’m a little old, but I’m still younger than you.”
“By like two months.”
“Still younger.”
---
“So what do you think, monkey?”
“I think it’s the bug.”
“I think so too. You know the drill?”
“Of course I do, Danno.”
“Then let’s go save our S.E.A.L.”
The pair of them sprang into action - or at least as quickly as they could, given they were still recovering from the flu themselves. Grace went for extra blankets and tissues, Danny for the medicine and fluids. They met back up again outside the bedroom where Steve was currently sweating it out and still denying he was sick.
At least he hadn’t puked yet.
They tiptoed in, trying not to wake the sleeping giant, and laid out their supplies. Grace had a glass of water at the ready, while Danny helped Steve sit up and pressed a couple pills into his hand. Steve dry swallowed them, taking the glass from Grace more out of kindness than need, and took a few sips before he laid back down. Grace tucked an extra blanket around Steve’s shoulders, and Steve gave them both a small smile.
“Still not sick, you know.”
“Right, right, it doesn’t count until you puke,” Danny said as he rolled his eyes and went around to the other side of the bed to climb in.
Grace took her cue from him and climbed in too, snuggling up to her uncle, and before he realized it, Steve was surrounded by Williamses. That immediately woke him up and he tried to push them out.
“No, no, you two gotta get outta here, you’ll get sick again.”
“We already had this strain, we’re immune, you’re not gonna get us sick.” Danny pushed Steve back down and slung an arm around his waist to hold him in place.
“Besides, you took care of us, it’s our turn to take care of you,” Grace said with a smile.
Steve tried to think of an argument, but his head was already swimming and Danny was right, they weren’t gonna catch this particular flu bug again. So instead, he surrendered, let his head hit the pillow again, and wrapped an arm around Grace before letting himself fall back asleep.
As soon as they heard his soft snoring, Grace and Danny grinned at each other and high-fived.
---
To his credit, Steve didn’t puke.
Despite Danny reminding him of this simple fact every time he was conscious for more than 30 seconds.
Steve didn’t really remember most of the day he was sick, but he did know that every single time he woke up, he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t sure how often Danny and Grace switched off, but there was always someone there with him when he opened his eyes, either sitting in a chair reading or laying in bed with a laptop and Netflix.
It made him smile each and every time.
---
Monday morning rolled around, and everyone was well enough to return to their usual routine. After dropping Grace off at school, they ran to Steve’s so that he could actually get into a shirt of his own. It was a necessary evil, but that just meant Danny was counting the hours until he could rip it off and make up for an entire lost weekend.
“My record still stands, you know,” Steve said, interrupting Danny’s vivid fantasy of what he’d like to do to a certain bare chest.
“Huh?”
“My record.”
“What record?”
“Haven’t been sick since I was five.”
“Yeah, and you broke the record spectacularly this weekend.”
“You yourself said that the flu doesn’t count unless you puke.”
“Just get us to work already, Steve.”
“You got it, Danno.”