Work Text:
The door to Odell's swung open as Danny, baby in his arms and toddler grasping to his pants, walked in.
Steve jumped up from his seat, moving over to help, stealing Hope from her father and cooing over her while Danny picked up Leo before the little one could work out where they were and why they were here.
"Williams!" Odell greeted him with open arms, scissors still in hand. "Come to your senses yet?"
"Not a chance," Danny thinned his lips into a smile. "But this tyke needs a good trim. We've let it go just a bit too long," he ran his hand over Leo's head, fingers combing through the curling blond hair that was taking over the boy's head.
"Well, good timing because McGarrett here is all finished so we've got a chair free," Odell swept his arms out for Danny to venture further in, but the moment he began walking over, Leo began to squirm, and before he could think about depositing Leo in the booster seat Odell had ready for him, the face was turning red, the eyes watering and Leo was working up to an almighty cry.
"Leo, come on, you've done this before. You've had it done a couple of times. What's the matter now?" Danny asked the little boy as he tried to keep his grasp on Danny's shirt and not let go.
"Noooo!" he yelled out. "Noo," he said again on a whimper.
"It's not going to hurt, okay? Hair can't feel. Look at your father, huh. He's just had his done. Look how short it is and he's perfectly fine. Well, relatively..."
Steve rolled his eyes and handed Hope back to Danny, who bounced her as she giggled unaware and unworried, despite her older brother's tears.
Steve crouched by the seat and rubbed Leo's back. "Hey, tiger, you can do this okay? There's nothing to it," he pointed at his own head. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Leo just let out another high pitched scream, pointing his little fingers at Odell and the scissors and comb in his hand like they were torture devices. "Dannoooooo," he called out, twisting his head, looking for his dad, hoping for solace and to leave the place again.
"Plenty of little kids don't like getting their hair cut, maybe if we try and start he'll realize," Odell suggested. He moved in, and touched Leo's hair, trying to get some of it between his fingers, but Leo squirmed so much it just wasn't possible and he just kept repeating 'no' every time Odell tried. "Of course," he sighed when he gave up for a moment. "A kid of McGarrett's would make things more difficult on me."
"Hey," Steve argued. "How is this my fault?"
"Stands to reason," Danny stuck his bottom lip out, debating whether he should go apologize about the noise to the couple who owned the bakery next door.
"He's your son, too." Steve pointed out. "And you're the one who doesn't like getting his hair cut. Leo's probably just copying you."
"I get my hair cut," Danny responded. "When the time is right and by someone I trust not to mess it up. It took me long enough to get the guy to do it the way I like it, I'm not switching that out for your guy. No offense, Odell, I'm sure you're a perfectly good barber."
"None taken. I swear though, the things I could do to that head," Odell mused.
Danny pointed at him. "That is exactly why I don't let you near me with scissors, okay?"
Leo giggled, his own predicament momentarily forgotten as he watched his Danno fight a similar battle against the dreaded cutting implements.
Danny's shoulders dropped as he took in everyone's faces. He had to admit, they had a point - kids copied their parents. He looked skywards as he spoke. "Fine. Just.... a tiny bit."
Odell smiled as he got closer to Danny's head with his hands and Danny winced as he gave Odell the evil eye, reminding him only to cut the smallest of lengths possible from maybe just a couple of strands.
"See, Leo? Your dad is getting his hair cut," Odell started a running commentary while Leo watched, fascinated despite the fakery of Danny's cut. Steve still crouched beside him, watching Danny with amusement dancing in his eyes. Odell continued, "It's really easy and it doesn't hurt him. Your dad knows this is something he needs to have done every so often."
"Okay, that's enough," Danny said and then got another idea. "Look, even your sister can get her hair cut." He turned so that Hope's head was now between him and the scissors like a human shield. "She doesn't have much, and you better fake it," he mumbled the last to Odell out of the side of his mouth. "Look, she's being such a good girl," he said as he smiled at Leo and Hope and the baby girl didn't seem to care that Odell had sharp metal near her head, she just smiled blissfully unaware the whole time. "She's getting her hair done, I've had mine done, your father, too. It's only you left, Leo. You don't want to be the odd one out so why don't you let Odell cut a little bit of it off."
They thought they'd done it. They thought they'd convinced Leo that a hair cut was fine and painless but as soon as Odell positioned himself beside the little boy, he threw another tantrum.
"Fine then, have it your way, Leo," Steve stretched himself back to his full height and lifted Leo into his arms. He moved the booster seat out of the way and took its place, getting Leo on his knee. Odell passed him a gown to put over them both and Danny handed Steve a mini packet of goldfish from his pocket. An attempt at distraction was all they had left and was what they'd had to resort to before for a lot of things.
Steve kept Leo secure on his knee, pointed at the writing and pictures on the gown and opened the packet of crackers with a loud rustle. Leo's attention was constantly divided between whatever Odell was doing to him that he didn't like, and the treats he did like until finally Odell announced that he was finished. Or that he was admitting defeat.
But Leo's hair was shorter, and even, and he looked like a normal toddler and not like someone had taken a bowl or a razor to his head so they considered it a win.
As soon as Steve let Leo down, the boy ran to one of the waiting chairs and began pulling at the magazines in the rack, ordeal forgotten.
As Steve paid for everything and Danny kept Hope occupied, Leo finally listened to his father calling him and came running over to his leg once they were ready to go. Steve lifted him up with a growl as Leo giggled and grasped onto him.
"I think it's time for some shave ice."
"Ice ice," Leo got excited, hands clapping on Steve's shoulders. "Want 'napple."
"Okay, pineapple shave ice for the brave boy who got his haircut and conquered his fears..." Steve tickled Leo's tummy as they walked out.
Danny turned to them. "He didn't conquer his fear. We distracted him through it. And you know we're just going to have to go through this all again in a few months."
As Danny leaned back out of the car from where he'd been securing Hope into her car seat, Steve approached him, blocking him in. "Hey, hey, hey. He still did something he didn't want to do. But he did the right thing and followed the orders of his superiors."
Danny cleared his throat. "Leo is not a Navy SEAL. Say it with me."
"I'm not doing this with your right now," Steve walked to the other side of the car where Leo would be getting strapped in.
Danny held his hands together and waved them in front of his body while he watched. "He's not a Navy SEAL, Steve. He's a two year old boy. Can you try remembering that for me, huh? Just for a second?"
Steve's head popped back up once he had Leo in place. "He has all the makings of one, okay? He's adventurous, and brave, and smart. He loves the ocean and he's already becoming a master at hide and seek. I'm telling you. He's the next generation of McGarrett Navy men."
"He's two. And you are forgetting that he is messy, and loud and a complete 'Danno's boy'. None of those traits are from you," Danny said, pointing out all the Williams things he'd inherited. He thought the conversation was over.
Except Steve had his thinking face on combined with smug face and Danny knew he was about to lose this round as Steve ticked things off with his hands. "It's organized chaos, he's authoritative and as far the last one goes... still sounds just like me," he winked at Danny and got into the drivers' seat.
Danny gave up and climbed in the passenger side. "Remind me why I had kids with you?"
"Because you love me," Steve smiled at him as he pulled out of the parking space and headed to the beach.
"I tolerate you. And your sperm is insanely strong."