Over the next several hours, the two men traversed the midway, riding a number of the attractions that the Park had to offer. Continuing the pattern they had set at the beginning of the day, the choice of ride alternated between them. The first big roller coaster ride (Danny's idea) was a white-knuckled romp on the Minebuster, which left Steve shaking his head in bemusement at the sheer delight his young lover took in the hugely steep drops and jarring tight loops of track. This was followed by a visit to the more traditional carnival swings (Steve's choice), a gentle spin that lifted them up to the height of the treeline without the intense adrenaline rush of the previous ride. Although Dan had initially rolled his eyes at Steve's suggestion, he had spent the time watching his lover's smile at the sensation of the whirling swings, and that made it that much more enjoyable for him.
As the afternoon wore on, Danny looked on with delight as Steve eased more fully into their activities. Together they rode almost all the thrill rides in the Park, with the older man only balking at the the gigantic Colossus, a monster roller coaster that spun through several tight corkscrews and boasted a tall drop that produced significant g-forces for the riders. Dan himself actually took this ride twice, unable to resist the excitement of the biggest new attraction in the Park. In the heat of the mid afternoon, he even managed to drag Steve onto the Whitewater Chasm water course again; the two men laughed at each other all the way down the river as the raft splashed through the rapids, almost completely soaking both of them. Eyeing his flushed, windblown, and now once again dripping companion, Danny thought he had never seen Steve looking so carefree and relaxed, so unburdened from the daily stress that was part and parcel of his position as head of Five-O.
For his part, Steve had faced a final moment of decision as he and Danny had enjoyed their shave ice break near the end of the morning. It was obvious the younger man was itching to delve into the Park's attractions; it was equally obvious that he was not going to do it alone. Pushing his reservations firmly into the back of his mind, Steve had allowed the afternoon to progress. Somewhere along the way, however, he found himself actually enjoying the rush and speed of the rides. Danny's enthusiasm was infectious; even through his second soaking of the day in the river of rapids he found himself chuckling right along with his lover. And to Steve's ever-watchful eye, his second-in-command looked like he didn't have a care in the world, keeping track only of which ride to head for next instead of pressing to complete the latest demanding investigation.
It was a revealing afternoon for both Steve and Danny, and it was with reluctance that they decided to call it a day and head for home. The crowds had swelled in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, making the line-ups at most of the rides just too long for them to want to remain on the midway. Their final activity was a spin on the Park's giant ferris wheel; Danny had noticed Steve eyeing the ride several times, and as they turned to make their way out, he had nudged his companion along the path which led to the colourful, towering ring. The line was quite short, the majority of people preferring the faster pace of the coasters. After a brief wait, they were ushered into a gently-rocking seat, buckled in, and the ride was underway. Sitting in the slowly turning wheel, looking out across the expanse of the Park, the two men allowed their hands to meet and then intertwine. A wave of nostalgia bubbled up in Steve, who remembered riding a much smaller wheel at a county fair as a young boy; a gratified Danny sat and listened to the still-too-rare sound of his lover's sharing of memories from long ago. The sun, the breeze, and the easy quietness of the ride combined to provide an ideal finish to their time at Ahi Mauna.
Finally ending up on the main thoroughfare, the detectives walked along beside the fountains towards the exit gate, each man pleasantly tired and comfortably drifting in his thoughts of the day. Distracted as such, they were both oblivious to the sound of their names being called until the shout was repeated almost right in front of them.
“Well, if it isn't Steve McGarrett! And Danny Williams too!” The jovial voice belonged to a solidly-built Hawaiian man dressed in the uniform of an HPD sergeant. Pekelo Keahi was a familiar face in the offices of Five-O, as he was frequently called upon when extra investigative manpower was required. Hand outstretched in greeting, he beamed at the startled pair. “This is not a place I'd be expecting to see you, Steve! What brings you here today? Or...” His voice dropped conspiratorially. “Are you here undercover, on a case or doing surveillance?”
Steve and Dan exchanged a quick glance. The younger man caught the fleeting look of panic that crossed Steve's face before the professional mask began to slide into place, and abruptly realized his companion was embarrassed at being seen in this unusual setting, in his present state of disarray. Frustration with Steve's inability to relax in public and the need to protect his boss's reputation clashed briefly within Danny, before he came to a quick decision. Sending his lover a steady, measured look that promised to raise this subject again later, he stepped forward and grasped Sergeant Keahi's hand firmly, returning his greeting.
“Pekelo, good to see you, bruddah!” Dany smoothly placed himself between the genial sergeant and Steve, giving the Five-O chief another moment or two to compose himself. “Yes, we've been here for a while, keeping tabs on someone. And as you can see,” he gestured to his still-damp clothing with a grin. “We've been led on a merry chase! Even right up around the waterfall, where the spray can get you real good!”
Keahi chuckled. “Been up there with my kids lots of times, Danny. I know all about getting wet! Too bad you and Steve were working, otherwise you could have had some fun on the rides! If I wasn't in uniform, I'd probably be heading for the coasters right now!”
Dan suddenly found the buttons on his aloha shirt needed some intense attention, while behind him there came a strangled cough from Steve. Taking a deep breath, he managed to steady himself enough to respond. “Yeah, too bad,” he agreed, studiously avoiding looking at his lover. “So, you're here in uniform. What's going on to have you here?”
“I'm pulling an extra shift,” came the reply. “Supervising the detail that's on duty for the concert here tonight. Crowd control...” The Hawaiian made a face. “Some band from overseas that has hordes of screaming teenage fans. The Park wanted lots of extra uniforms here to keep it all under control.” He pointed at a group of giggling girls, all of whom were wearing long tartan scarves and big hightop sneakers trimmed in the same pattern. “Auwe, look at that, they're arriving already!”
Steve and Danny looked where Sergeant Keahi was indicating, watching as the girls made their way deeper into the Park, high-spirited shrieks trailing behind them. Exchanging a relieved glance with his partner, Dan shook his head in bemusement. “It looks like we are leaving at just the right time,” he observed.
Steve nodded. “I think so,” he agreed, a faint smirk crossing his features. “It looks like you could have quite a busy time of it tonight, Pekelo!”
The affable Hawaiian shrugged. “I'm not too worried about this crowd, Steve. Teenage girls may make a lot of noise, but they're pretty well behaved, especially when the band comes on. Not like those head-bangers that were here last month, for sure! And there's a good group of men in the detachment tonight, so I'm not expecting too much trouble.”
“Well, we should let you get to it,” Steve said, watching another pair of tartan-clad girls walk past them along the wide path. “Your audience awaits...!”
“Have a good evening, Pekelo!” Danny added, clapping the sergeant on the shoulder. “Don't let all of those girls give you a hard time, bruddah!”
Keahi smiled as he began to move away. “No problem, Danny! It'll be a fine night for all.” He touched his fingertips to the brim of his cap in a quick salute. “Good evening, Steve. I'll see you soon, I'm sure.”
“Good-bye,” the Five-O chief echoed as he and Danny turned again toward the Park exit. Waiting a moment until the sergeant was well clear of them, Steve touched the younger man's arm. “Danno, I...” he began.
Danny shook his head briefly. “Let's just get to the car,” he said lightly. “I'd like to beat most of the rush hour traffic, if I can.”
To be continued...
As the afternoon wore on, Danny looked on with delight as Steve eased more fully into their activities. Together they rode almost all the thrill rides in the Park, with the older man only balking at the the gigantic Colossus, a monster roller coaster that spun through several tight corkscrews and boasted a tall drop that produced significant g-forces for the riders. Dan himself actually took this ride twice, unable to resist the excitement of the biggest new attraction in the Park. In the heat of the mid afternoon, he even managed to drag Steve onto the Whitewater Chasm water course again; the two men laughed at each other all the way down the river as the raft splashed through the rapids, almost completely soaking both of them. Eyeing his flushed, windblown, and now once again dripping companion, Danny thought he had never seen Steve looking so carefree and relaxed, so unburdened from the daily stress that was part and parcel of his position as head of Five-O.
For his part, Steve had faced a final moment of decision as he and Danny had enjoyed their shave ice break near the end of the morning. It was obvious the younger man was itching to delve into the Park's attractions; it was equally obvious that he was not going to do it alone. Pushing his reservations firmly into the back of his mind, Steve had allowed the afternoon to progress. Somewhere along the way, however, he found himself actually enjoying the rush and speed of the rides. Danny's enthusiasm was infectious; even through his second soaking of the day in the river of rapids he found himself chuckling right along with his lover. And to Steve's ever-watchful eye, his second-in-command looked like he didn't have a care in the world, keeping track only of which ride to head for next instead of pressing to complete the latest demanding investigation.
It was a revealing afternoon for both Steve and Danny, and it was with reluctance that they decided to call it a day and head for home. The crowds had swelled in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, making the line-ups at most of the rides just too long for them to want to remain on the midway. Their final activity was a spin on the Park's giant ferris wheel; Danny had noticed Steve eyeing the ride several times, and as they turned to make their way out, he had nudged his companion along the path which led to the colourful, towering ring. The line was quite short, the majority of people preferring the faster pace of the coasters. After a brief wait, they were ushered into a gently-rocking seat, buckled in, and the ride was underway. Sitting in the slowly turning wheel, looking out across the expanse of the Park, the two men allowed their hands to meet and then intertwine. A wave of nostalgia bubbled up in Steve, who remembered riding a much smaller wheel at a county fair as a young boy; a gratified Danny sat and listened to the still-too-rare sound of his lover's sharing of memories from long ago. The sun, the breeze, and the easy quietness of the ride combined to provide an ideal finish to their time at Ahi Mauna.
Finally ending up on the main thoroughfare, the detectives walked along beside the fountains towards the exit gate, each man pleasantly tired and comfortably drifting in his thoughts of the day. Distracted as such, they were both oblivious to the sound of their names being called until the shout was repeated almost right in front of them.
“Well, if it isn't Steve McGarrett! And Danny Williams too!” The jovial voice belonged to a solidly-built Hawaiian man dressed in the uniform of an HPD sergeant. Pekelo Keahi was a familiar face in the offices of Five-O, as he was frequently called upon when extra investigative manpower was required. Hand outstretched in greeting, he beamed at the startled pair. “This is not a place I'd be expecting to see you, Steve! What brings you here today? Or...” His voice dropped conspiratorially. “Are you here undercover, on a case or doing surveillance?”
Steve and Dan exchanged a quick glance. The younger man caught the fleeting look of panic that crossed Steve's face before the professional mask began to slide into place, and abruptly realized his companion was embarrassed at being seen in this unusual setting, in his present state of disarray. Frustration with Steve's inability to relax in public and the need to protect his boss's reputation clashed briefly within Danny, before he came to a quick decision. Sending his lover a steady, measured look that promised to raise this subject again later, he stepped forward and grasped Sergeant Keahi's hand firmly, returning his greeting.
“Pekelo, good to see you, bruddah!” Dany smoothly placed himself between the genial sergeant and Steve, giving the Five-O chief another moment or two to compose himself. “Yes, we've been here for a while, keeping tabs on someone. And as you can see,” he gestured to his still-damp clothing with a grin. “We've been led on a merry chase! Even right up around the waterfall, where the spray can get you real good!”
Keahi chuckled. “Been up there with my kids lots of times, Danny. I know all about getting wet! Too bad you and Steve were working, otherwise you could have had some fun on the rides! If I wasn't in uniform, I'd probably be heading for the coasters right now!”
Dan suddenly found the buttons on his aloha shirt needed some intense attention, while behind him there came a strangled cough from Steve. Taking a deep breath, he managed to steady himself enough to respond. “Yeah, too bad,” he agreed, studiously avoiding looking at his lover. “So, you're here in uniform. What's going on to have you here?”
“I'm pulling an extra shift,” came the reply. “Supervising the detail that's on duty for the concert here tonight. Crowd control...” The Hawaiian made a face. “Some band from overseas that has hordes of screaming teenage fans. The Park wanted lots of extra uniforms here to keep it all under control.” He pointed at a group of giggling girls, all of whom were wearing long tartan scarves and big hightop sneakers trimmed in the same pattern. “Auwe, look at that, they're arriving already!”
Steve and Danny looked where Sergeant Keahi was indicating, watching as the girls made their way deeper into the Park, high-spirited shrieks trailing behind them. Exchanging a relieved glance with his partner, Dan shook his head in bemusement. “It looks like we are leaving at just the right time,” he observed.
Steve nodded. “I think so,” he agreed, a faint smirk crossing his features. “It looks like you could have quite a busy time of it tonight, Pekelo!”
The affable Hawaiian shrugged. “I'm not too worried about this crowd, Steve. Teenage girls may make a lot of noise, but they're pretty well behaved, especially when the band comes on. Not like those head-bangers that were here last month, for sure! And there's a good group of men in the detachment tonight, so I'm not expecting too much trouble.”
“Well, we should let you get to it,” Steve said, watching another pair of tartan-clad girls walk past them along the wide path. “Your audience awaits...!”
“Have a good evening, Pekelo!” Danny added, clapping the sergeant on the shoulder. “Don't let all of those girls give you a hard time, bruddah!”
Keahi smiled as he began to move away. “No problem, Danny! It'll be a fine night for all.” He touched his fingertips to the brim of his cap in a quick salute. “Good evening, Steve. I'll see you soon, I'm sure.”
“Good-bye,” the Five-O chief echoed as he and Danny turned again toward the Park exit. Waiting a moment until the sergeant was well clear of them, Steve touched the younger man's arm. “Danno, I...” he began.
Danny shook his head briefly. “Let's just get to the car,” he said lightly. “I'd like to beat most of the rush hour traffic, if I can.”
To be continued...