Chapter Text
Author's Note:
Results from voting are in! I also asked my AO3 readers to vote on the story over there. Cover 1 won on both sites and overall! The cover and name will now be updated!
Thank you, everyone, who voted!!! And thank you to everyone who has commented and read this story <3
On with Part 2 of Mother's Day!
"Hey Joanie!" Steve yelled out when a little blond girl opened his front door.
"Uncle Steve! Uncle Danno!" She ran to the two men in the living room and gave them both a big hug.
"The kids are outside playing! Go say hi to your cousins."
"Okay." She said, running to the backdoor.
"Happy Mother's Day!" Steve and Danny said in unison as Mary walked in, hands full with a tray of cookies.
"McDanno." She replied, walking over to set the things on the couch.
"What was that?" Steve asked.
She turned to face the men, both faces cocked.
"It's your couples name..." She explained with a grin. "You know, when you take halves of each person's name and mush them together. Danny's sister and I came up with it."
"I still think it's weird you two connected over facebook." Danny shook his head.
"McDanno?" Steve said as he gave Mary a hug. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. My name's not even in it."
"Sound like an option on the McDonalds menu." Danny said, giving Mary his hug, "Hi, yes can I get a side of fries with my McDanno, also a McFlurry please."
"McDanno." Steve repeated in disbelief. "Why not Stevanno?"
"Stevanno?" Danny scoffed
"Yeah, at least it's got my name now."
"Why does it have to end in Danno. You know I don't like it when other people call me that," then quickly at Mary, "other people being nonfamily, you can call me Danno."
"Stevanny?" Steve made a face. "No. Stevanno sounds cool. That's someone I'd want to be friends."
"Stevanno?" Danny grinned in shock. "Ha, you'd want to be friends with Stevanno? He sounds like a prick. And why you gotta put your name first huh? What's with that? What, why can't it be, uh a Daneve."
"Daneve?" Steve said with a laugh.
"Daneven?" Danny suggested.
"That doesn't roll off the tongue," Mary said.
"What like McDanno does?" Steve and Danny said in unison.
"What's McDanno?" Nahele said, appearing behind them. "Uh, I came in for some waters. Grace's got the kids sitting, don't worry."
Steve and Danny nodded in thanks.
"It's their couples name." Mary answered his original question.
"And it's dumb because my names not even in it, but you get all of Danno in there." Steve crossed his arms.
"Sounds like a McDonalds meal," Nahele said.
Danny pointed at him, "That's what I said!"
"No!" Mary cut in. "This is what we've been using! We like it! It's McGarrett and Danno put together."
"Now your throwing last names in?" Steve asked.
"You can't mix and match like that." Danny stated.
"Yeah," Steve nodded in agreement, "And doesn't it have to be first and last half?"
"McGilliams?" Nahele provided.
"Willarrett?" Steve proposed.
"I don't like em." Mary replied.
"WiGa—" Nahele started again, then looked at the men. "McGarrett-Willams? I feel like they would hyphenate. You two seem like you would hyphenate"
"Yeah," Steve nodded, like Nahele had just solved the world's biggest mystery, "We would hyphenate! Nobody changes their last name to a meshed version of the two!"
"Williams-McGarrett." Danny said, nodding his head to the side as he raised his shoulders.
"McGarrett-Williams." Steve corrected. "I'm just... alphabetical order Danny."
"Alphabetical order?" Danny made a face, "Since when do you care about order?"
"Since when do I care about order? My whole life is about order."
Danny scoffed.
"Okay well..." Mary said cutting Danny off before he could reply. "I'm still gonna use McDanno so...." She grabbed the tray of cookies and walked out to be with the kids.
"McDanny." Danny offered silently.
"Stevanno." Steve countered.
Nahele smirked at them, leaning against the sofa. "You know for the longest time after moving in here I couldn't figure out if the two of you were," his face toughened up, "Partner Partners. Or," he raised his eyebrows and lowered his chin, voice shifting slightly, "Partner Partners."
Danny looked at him for a second. "When did you figure it out?"
Nahele was tempted to answer, I'm still not really sure to be honest, but instead he just said, "Eventually, I gave up," which was the truth, "just figured if I couldn't figure out the difference then it didn't really matter."
He shrugged, straightening up to grab the waters he had walked in for.
"But you know now right?" Danny called out to him, eyebrows scrunching. "That it's Partner Partners."
"Sure." Nahele said, walking back out the kitchen, water bottles in hand, he left with a smirk.
Danny and Steve watched him walk back out to the lanai close the door behind him.
"Partner Partners?" Danny asked, looking over at Steve.
"What does it matter? It's—" Steve shrugged, walking to the kitchen, dismissing the matter with the wave of a hand. "We're partners. Why does there need to be a whole second— it's— don't worry about it Danny."
"He's with us all the time and he doesn't know if we're romantically involved?" Danny said following him. "He's met Lynn, and Melissa hasn't he?"
"Yeah, he has." Steve opened the fridge, pulling out the seasoned meats. He set them on the counter and turned around to look at Danny. "Although...you really want to bring them into this?"
"What, what's with the tone?"
"When was the last time you saw Melissa? Or talked to her for that matter?"
"I don't know, I don't count the days like a little 14 year old." Danny looked in the direction of the backyard. "Oh god I hope Grace doesn't do that with Will."
"Okay," Steve shrugged, "Estimate. When do you think you last saw her?"
"I don't know... Okay, maybe it's been a while since I last texted her... I don't know maybe a few weeks..."
"You haven't seen her in a bit over two months, haven't texted her in a bit over a month. Your last text to her read 'same' when she said texted you she missed you."
Danny cocked his head back, "How—why do you know that?"
"Because you're my partner, and it's my job to know everything about you. And as for Lynn... it's about the same story for me. So... I'm just saying it's understandable for someone to... not see that connection between us and them."
Danny stared at him and Steve stared back.
"I gotta grab more cups." Nahele said suddenly coming into the kitchen. He froze when he saw the two men. "Are you two still talking about this? C'mon we're hungry. You can talk about McDanno outside. Over the grill." He grabbed the cups and helped the men outside.
Gracie ran past the chair marked finish line outside, beating Nahele, Charlie, and her cousin Joanie in the race.
"Atta girl!" Steve cheered from the grill.
Danny clapped from his chair next to Steve.
"Rematch." Nahele panted as he crossed the line. He doubled over, clutching his chest, "Next week. When I can breathe again."
Grace grinned as she walked over to her dad to get more water.
"Gracie." Steve said as he flipped a burger. "Maybe you can help us out with something."
"No," Danny shook his head, "don't bring her into this."
"McDanno." Steve continued. "What do you think of it?"
"...Uhh," She took a sip of water. "Dad getting a burger named after him?'
Steve and Danny both gave Mary a pointed look.
"It's their couples name." Mary defended, walking over to them. "Get it? McGarret and Danno."
"Oh!" Grace grinned. "I like it."
"Don't you like Stevanno better?" Steve asked.
"Danneven?" Danny countered.
"I like McDanno." Grace replied.
"But you just said it reminded you of a McBurger." Danny argued.
She shrugged. "Hey, Aunt Mary, maybe you can help me. Will and I have been trying to think of a couples name for us."
"What are you two— you're kids, you don't need a couples name-" Danny stopped at Grace's look. "Willace?" He offered.
"Mhm, we thought of that one but didn't like it."
"Grall." Steve said.
"Grall?" Danny turned to look at Steve. "What's the matter with you? That's worse than mine."
"Grovace?" Steve tried again.
Danny shook his head, stealing a hot dog in the process.
"What's his last name?" Mary asked.
"What's with you and mixing in last names?" Danny asked, mid chews.