Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Danny, please, don't leave me," Steve McGarrett begged his partner, husband, and soulmate, Danny Williams. "I don't think I can do this without you."

"Relax, Steve, you'll be fine," Danny replied. "You've done this a hundred times."

"Yeah, but not without you. I don't know what to do," Steve whined.

"Here." Danny shoved a sheaf of type-written pages into Steve's hands. "I wrote out instructions. Just follow them. You'll be fine."

"Danny. . ." Steve tried one last time.

"Steve," Danny said, exasperated, "I'm going to a PTA meeting. I'm not going halfway around the world on some classified mission like some people I could mention. I'll be back in a couple of hours. I'm sure you can manage to put our son to bed on your own." With that, Danny was gone, leaving Steve staring at said child, currently lying in his crib in human form, counting his toes.

"Danny's right," Steve told himself firmly, "I've faced down terrorists. I can handle one infant." He consulted Danny's instructions. "Give him his bottle. I can do that."

Steve went downstairs and heated the bottle, making sure it was the perfect temperature. He carried it back to the nursery, where Matt, his son, had shifted into dragon form and had braced his front paws on the side of the crib, watching Steve expectantly.

Steve stopped and blinked at Matt. "Uh, I think you're supposed to be in human form for this." Matt just stared at him, big, blue eyes wide. "Um, well, okay." Steve thought a minute. "I guess I can give it to you in this form. I mean, they bottle feed lots of baby animals. This isn't any different, right?"

Matt "mrrped" in agreement. Steve picked him up and sat down in the rocking chair, carefully positioning Matt. He held the bottle to Matt's mouth. Matt crunched down, crushing the bottle, then swallowed it. Steve stared at him. "I'm pretty sure you weren't supposed to do that." Matt just burped. "Well, that takes care of the next item on the list." He looked at the next item. "Bath. I can do that!" In fact, Steve usually bathed Matt. They both loved the water, and they could spend hours splashing in the tub, until Danny came and yelled at them for taking too long.

Tonight, without Danny there to stop him, Steve took his time bathing Matt, washing and rinsing him carefully, then getting in a splash fight with the baby dragon. At last, they'd had enough. Laughing, Steve picked Matt up and reached for the towel, only to discover it was sopping wet. He looked around the bathroom. Water was everywhere—covering the floor, dripping off the counter, and spilling over the edge of the tub. "Danny's not going to like that," Steve muttered.

Steve got a fresh towel, dried Matt, and carried him into the bedroom. "What do you say," he asked his son, "Jammies and your crib, or dragon form and your playpen." Matt pointed his snout at his playpen. "Dragon form it is." Steve lowered the dragon into the playpen and arranged the blankets around him. Not satisfied, Matt tugged and pawed at the blankets, shoving them into a pile then straightening them out again, only to repeat the process until he had them arranged the way he wanted them. "Night-night, buddy," Steve said, and went to turn out the light.

Matt immediately began mewling. Steve rushed over to him and picked him up, soothing him. "Hey, hey, it's alright. I know! I bet you want a story, right?" Matt bobbed his head in agreement.

Steve set Matt back in his playpen and picked up Matt's favorite book, Dragons Love Tacos. He started reading, and felt Matt start to drift off until he was snoring softly. Reaching the end, Steve set the book aside and stood up.

Matt immediately woke up and started squawking again. "Now what?" Steve asked.

Steve heard what seemed to be singing in his head, albeit off-key and apparently random. "You want me to sing to you?" He felt Matt agree in his head. "I don't sing, buddy. Danno sings. Maybe he can sing to you when he gets home, okay?" Vehement disagreement emanated from Matt. "Okay, okay. I'll sing." Steve wracked his brain for a lullaby, finally remembering one his mother used to sing to him. It was in Hawaiian, and Steve smiled to himself, imagining what Danny would say if he knew he was singing Matt a Hawaiian lullaby. He started singing, but was stopped by Matt's mewling. "What is it?"

A picture of him holding Matt appeared in his brain. "Oh, you want me to hold you? I think I can do that. Come here." He lifted Matt again and once more settled in the rocking chair, Matt draped across his chest. He began rocking and singing softly. Matt drifted off again, and soon Steve followed.

Danny returned home and stuck his head into the nursery. There he saw his husband and son curled up together in the rocking chair, sound asleep. He smiled and snapped a picture with his cell phone, immediately setting it as his wallpaper. Then he tucked an afghan around the pair and tiptoed off, leaving his two favorite men sleeping peacefully.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Yes, Dragons Love Tacos is a real book. Number 1 best seller in Children's Dragon Stories on Amazon. And no, I didn't know it existed until I searched Amazon for an appropriate book for Steve to read Matt. :)