“And she just picked up and moved here! Three weeks' notice! Three!" Danny said, holding up four fingers. “Well, three and a half weeks, but still!”

They had finished their meals half an hour ago and were well into their third Blue Hawaiians, though Danny had ordered his last one sans alcohol.

Somehow, they had stumbled onto the topic of Danny’s recent move to Hawai'i, which had inevitably brought up his ex, the reason he’d moved.

Kai was happy to listen, happy that Danny wasn't yelling at him anymore, happy he wasn't threatening to sue.

Kai had even joined in with the woes of his own recent ex-girlfriend and his own struggles readjusting to Hawai'i after leaving the military.

“And the worst part is" Danny continued, "Cris, Cristie-Elena’s mom- we’d been working on the whole friends after divorce thing, and it took us a damn long time to build up what we had, but we were doing good! And then she just turns and does that? Out of nowhere?”

Kai tsked.

"And," Danny continued, thankful for the look of shock on Kai's face, "she was surprised when I told her I was gonna move here too! As if Elena meant nothing to me that I wouldn't care if she lived thousands of miles away!"

Kai gasped, shaking his head, "That's crazy, of course you want to live close to your daughter, you're an actual caring father! Not many people have those!"

Danny nodded, happy to have finally found someone in Hawai'i he could talk to. 

In the month since he'd moved, he felt isolated and frustrated, from not being able to find an apartment to feeling out of place at his new station. He felt like he had no one.

And now there he was chatting with Kai as if they were old friends.

He figured it was probably a mix of him feeling so down for the past few weeks, being away from his therapist and his mom and sisters, and the fact that it was usually easier to just talk to strangers.

That and he'd already shared so many fears, worries, and frustrations with Kai, so what was a few more?

"So I left Chicago,” Danny continued, “and I love Chicago by the way, my whole family is in Chicago, I thought I'd grow old in Chicago, but I left to come here and try to make a new life for myself, for El."

“Well, you're a good dad,” Kai said earnestly.

“Thank you,” Danny said, taking another sip from his drink and finishing off the pineapple on top. “And your ex was wrong, by the way. You are a good listener.”

“I know! Thank you!” Kai agreed, finishing up his third drink.

The waitress had brought them their bill a few minutes ago but neither had acknowledged it yet.

Danny wasn’t sure what the protocol was.

He fidgeted with a napkin on the table, intermittently glancing at the check as he listened to Kai finish up his story.

Kai caught on to Danny’s glances. “Here, let me pay,” he said, reaching for it.

“What? No, we’ll go dutch, that's what makes sense.”

“How about I pay this one," Kai said, already pulling out his wallet, "and you get the next?”

“Okay, well… Can I at least give you a ride home then? I don’t feel comfortable letting you drive after five drinks.”

Kai grinned for a moment before shrugging, “Yeah, if it’s not too much trouble. I mean, I’m fine, they weren’t exactly strong drinks, but, if it’ll make you feel better..."

The car ride was a lot quieter than Kai had expected. 

He thought they would continue their conversations, but Danny was quiet for most of the drive, looking lost in thought.

Kai wasn’t sure where they stood anymore, was Danny still just a disgruntled parent, or was this the start of a new friendship? 

Possibly something more?

I mean he insisted on driving me home. Kai thought as he glanced over at Danny.

He was cute, Kai acknowledged. 

Danny had short dark brown hair, every lock swished back, perfectly in place, except for a strand that curled down to his forehead. His firewood brown eyes could easily be melted into, especially with those long dark lashes. 

It was obvious he cared about his appearance, dressed like he was ready to go to court- or a photoshoot. Like he knew how good he looked with his button-down sleeves rolled up, nicely accentuating his naturally tan arms.

“So... are you—” Kai found himself asking as they pulled up to his house, “I mean," Kai cleared his throat, "do you still hate me?”

“Am I still upset with how El spent her summer?" Danny said it as if that’s what he’d spent the whole drive thinking about. "Yeah kinda. Do I get that you only have good intentions? Yes. Am I still upset at you? A little, but it's fading. Do I hate you?” He glanced at Kai for a moment before looking down. “No. Am I suing? No. Am I ever gonna let El back in your camp? Probably not...”

Danny finally looked back up at Kai, his eyes looked a little apologetic.

Kai nodded, lips pressed together, he knew to take his wins where he could get them. 

“Okay.” He gave Danny one last smile before getting out of the car.

“Kai,” Danny said before Kai closed the car door. “Thanks for today, for taking the time to talk with me, and not just about the camp stuff," Danny said, a small grin appearing on his face.

"Yeah, of course," Kai grinned, "same."