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"Okay, Matt's napping now, but he'll probably be pretty energetic when he wakes up," Danny Williams told his teammate, Lou Grover. "You can take him out on the beach if you want—he loves the water—he definitely gets that from Steve, because God knows he didn't get that from me." Danny gestured at his partner, husband, and soulmate Steve McGarrett as he spoke. "If he wants to be in dragon form, you can throw a ball for him. He loves to play fetch."
Lou stretched his arms over the back of the sofa. "I got this, Danny. We'll be fine. Now, you two go have fun."
Danny hesitated at the door. "You sure?"
"Positive. Now go."
Reluctantly, Danny left with Steve. Lou looked at the several pages of instructions and emergency numbers and tossed them aside. Been there, done that. He was confident there wasn't anything a toddler could throw at him that he hadn't dealt with before.
An hour later, Lou was regretting his confidence. Matt had woken up, and they'd gone out to the beach. Matt was in dragon form, so Lou threw a tennis ball for him to fetch. His aim had gone wild, though, and the ball had ended up on the roof of the house. Undaunted, Matt had flown up after it. Then, he'd refused to come down.
It wasn't that Lou hadn't dealt with kids on roofs before, or in trees, or in any number of high, precarious spots. It was just that none of them had wings. And, none of them were quite so. . .stubborn. Matt was definitely Danny and Steve's kid. "Matthew John McGarrett-Williams, you get down here right now," Lou said in his firmest voice, designed to command obedience from criminals and kids alike.
Matt just scooted further back on the roof. Lou could swear Matt was laughing, if dragons could even laugh. So much for the commanding father tone. Now it was time to approach this like a SWAT captain. Lou assessed the situation. Matt definitely had the tactical advantage. He had the whole roof at his disposal, and easy access for escape given his wings. Lou would have to approach via ladder, which would leave him vulnerable. Plus, he was alone, so he'd have to play both offense and defense. Lou surveyed the roof, looking for some area where he could contain Matt. Ah, the chimney. If he could back Matt up against that, he'd have a chance.
Lou carefully lined the ladder up directly opposite the chimney and tried one last thing. He climbed up the ladder and held out a candy bar. "Hey, Matt, want a treat?"
As expected, Matt darted for the candy bar, snatching it out of Lou's hand and retreating a few feet away, like a cat guarding it's kill. Lou had hoped he'd be able to grab Matt and get him down, but this served his purpose as well. Matt was now in line with the chimney. If he went straight back and didn't dodge to the side as Lou approached, Lou would have him right where he wanted him. Lou approached, and as anticipated, Matt backed up until his back was against the chimney. Just as Lou was about to make a grab for him, Matt launched himself over Lou's head and flew off across the roof.
Lou swore to himself. Matt definitely had the upper hand. Worse, he looked like he was about to sail off the roof and out into the neighborhood, which would never do. Steve and Danny had warned him about that. Time for the command voice again. He didn't even bother with a name, just shouted "Stop!"
Wonder of wonders, Matt stopped, halting in mid-air and crashing down into the bushes on the side of the house. Lou scrambled down the ladder and raced over to him, praying he hadn't broken anything. Lou wasn't sure how he'd explain it to his boss if his kid got hurt. Matt seemed fine though, if a little stunned. He looked up at Lou with big, blue eyes and mewled. "Hey, hey, it's okay, I've got you," Lou said soothingly. He scooped Matt up and cuddled him, grateful that his size made holding a five-foot long dragon easy. It wasn't quite the same as cuddling a human child, but Lou managed. As if sensing his thoughts, Matt shifted, throwing his arms around Lou's neck and burying his face in Lou's shoulder. "Let's get you inside, hunh? I think you've had enough excitement for one day."
When Steve and Danny came home, they found Lou lounging on the sofa, Matt curled up in dragon form on his lap, cartoons on the TV. "Any trouble?" Danny asked.
Lou grinned broadly, mentally crossing his fingers for what he was going to say. "Nope, none at all."