"Ok, out with it," Steve flopped down on the sand next to Danny and made himself comfortable, before looking pointedly at Danny. Who was avoiding his eyes, as he had been for the last three weeks.

In fact for the 3 weeks he had barely been anywhere near Steve, he had been running from him at every opportunity, every time they were left alone for a second Danny would find some reason to leave the room, he managed to shuffle things so that 9/10 they weren't working together, he had pulled someone along with them when they needed to work together, most of the time an exasperated cross amused Chin hovering in the background like a very uncomfortable chaperon.

Honestly Steve would think that Danny was pissed at him, except for the fact that when Danny was pissed at him he stuck closer to Steve and bitched at him about what it was he was pissed at him about. This was something different, something very different, and Steve didn't know what had happened, but there was something serious going on considering Danny wouldn't even look at him.

And if he was being honest, he missed Danny, he missed spending time with him, he missed their banter and their chatter, he missed their chats and their time together. He spent most of his weekends with Danny and Grace, but for the last three weeks he had barely seen Grace, and he missed her almost as much as Danny. He missed her laughter and chatter about her friends and school, he missed her curled up between him and Danny watching a film.

So he when Danny had dodged their traditional end of case beers and practically ran for the door Steve had growled, slammed some thins around before storming after him and followed him to the beach. He was fairly sure that he had scared Kono and Chin a little bit, he was fairly sure they were relieved as well because they had been shooting him significant eyes for the last three weeks, they obviously thought that he had done something wrong.

"Out with what?" Danny frowned out over the beach.

"Out with whatever is bothering you," Steve tried not to sound frustrated but it was difficult. He had never realised how much Danny centered him, grounded him.

"Nothing is bothering me,"

"Something is bothering you,"

"Nothing is!"

"What do you think I am stupid? There is clearly something going on!"

"There is nothing going on!" Danny glared at him.

"Then why is this the first time you have looked at me in three weeks, two days and...seventeen hours!" Steve checked his watch.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, what the hell is going on? Please," Whatever smart arse remark Danny was about to give him stopped on his lips at the please. He turned and saw Steve was looking at him with that wounded look.

There were two things that he had a serious weakness for when it came to Steven McGarrett, one was the excited boyish smile he only seemed to give Danny and Grace, the other was the wounded, hurt look he gave, with full on puppy dog eyes. And he was getting that right now.

"Its nothing, I am just being stupid," Danny shook his head.

"Its obviously bothering you, so why can't you tell me. Have I done something to upset you?" Steve frowned.

"No, no its not you, I just...I am dealing with something stupid, I got my head twisted around and I just need a little time," Danny sighed.

"But it is something to do with me," Steve stated and then growled when Danny opened his mouth to deny it. "I know it is something to do with me, you are fine with all of the others its just me you are avoiding!"

"I am not avoiding you!"

"Yes you are you can't get away from me fast enough!"

"Oh of course it has to be all about you! It can't be about anything else, it has to be about you!"

"It is about me, you are being weird with me and only me! You run every time we are alone together, we spend most of our time together, now I hardly see you!"

"Its nothing to do with you! Its me and my messed up head and getting stupid ideas in my head! Its not you!" Danny shouted standing up and started to storm down the beach.

"Wait Danno, what ideas?" Steve frowned racing after his partner.

"Just let it go Steve, just this once, let it go!" Danny tried to throw off his arm, but Steve grabbed hold of his shoulders and spun him around.

"Danno..."

"Don't! Don't Danno me, don't not right now," Danny snapped.

"Danny! Please, talk to me, whatever this is, just talk to me, trust me," Steve begged.

"Gracie said something..." Danny blurted out.

"What? This is about something Grace said? What was it?" Steve was completely thrown now. He couldn't think of anything that race could have said that would have caused this reaction in Danny, he thought that they got on ok. He knew he wasn't great with kids, but he thought that Grace was different, he thought that she liked him. He knew that he loved her, adored her and would do anything at all to keep her safe. And he thought that Grace had liked him. Maybe he was wrong.

"She said something, about you and..about me,"

"About you...and me?" Steve said slowly feeling more confused now.

"Yes about us, well about you and us really," Danny muttered.

"What did she say?"

"She asked...she asked if you were going to be her step dad like Stan was," Danny sighed.

"And you got upset about that? People make comments all the time, we make comments all the time, I know Grace is a little different but..."

"Its not that, its what..."

"What?" Steve tightened his hands Danny's shoulders looking at him hopefully.

"What I wanted, what she said made me think and it was what I wanted, I wanted you to be that for her, and I wanted you to be in my life like that. And I was going to say something and then you were going off to Catherine and I realised that I can't have that, that that isn't who we are. And I will be ok with that, I will, I just need a little time to get my head straightened out and we will go back to normal I promise, but you need, you got to give me a little time please,"

"And if I want that?" Steve asked softly.

"What?" Danny looked up at him wide eyed, and with an equal mix of fear and hope in his eyes.

"What if I want that with you, and Gracie, what if that is what I want?" Steve asked.

"You, Catherine and..."

"I love you Danno Williams, I love you, more than anything, more than anyone. Catherine isn't it for me, and she knows that. We are friends, that is all. You are..."

"Yes?" Danny was smiling a little.

"No, god you won't let me hear the end of it!" Steve groaned.

"I opened up, your turn!" Danny grinned a little, and it was so good to see that Steve couldn't help himself.

"You are the love of my life Danny Williams, you have been probably since the moment I met you, and you always will be, no matter what happens between the two of us, I will always love you,"

Danny stood there staring at him for a moment, a couple of beats during which Steve was sure his heart didn't beat. And then he was on his back on the sand with Danny straddling his hips and pressing their lips together.

That managed to make his brain short circuit, and register only that Danny was kissing him, he was finally getting to kiss him.

He didn't know how long they lay there on the beach making out like a pair of teenagers, all hands and kissing hungrily and desperately, they were making up for a lot of apparent lost time during which they could have been doing this for years.

"You realise that you could have spoken to me about this weeks ago?" Steve grinned when they finally parted after who knew how long.

"Shut up," Danny shook his head.

"Just saying, you were sulking, this time when we...could...have...been...doing...this..." Steve teased between kisses.

"I could kill you,"

"You love me," Steve grinned that damned boyish grin.

"Maybe,"

"Oh you totally do,"

"I do most of the time,"

"You love me all the time,"

"You could argue this point," Danny hummed.

"Or?" Steve perked up.

"Or we could go back to yours and get a little more comfy," Danny grinned.

"Ok!"

Danny grunted when he found himself on his feet before he could say anything else, spun around and Steve was dragging him up the beach towards their cars.

"You seem very overly interested in my ass," Danny grinned.

"You have an amazing ass, it has been taunting me for three years, I have to look at it all the time and all I can think about is touching it, I am allowed to now! Steve grinned.

"You just want to touch it?" Danny hummed pressing close to Steve and laughing when Super Seal actually stumbled. He had not felt this light since Rachel had told him she was pregnant.

"Nope that is definitely not all I want to do," Steve shook his head.

"How about you tell me all about it?" Danny asked huskily.

"You know, there is this great spot, not far from here where no one goes, we could stop off there on the way back to mine?" Steve suggested tugging Danny closer to himself desperately.

"How close?" Danny licked his lips.

- DW SM -

"So?" Chin drawled as he and Kono walked over to where Danny and Steve were standing near Steve's office.

The two men looked over wide eyed and then groaned when they saw the looks on their colleagues faces. They knew. Danny lit up in an impressive shade of red while Steve looked like the kid who had had his hand caught in the cookie jar. Which he kind of had.

"Getting caught by Duke for indecent exposure, got to be painful!" Chin teased.

"It has been one day, one day, how do you know already?!" Danny griped.

"He text to let us know, and to claim the money that he and I won in the betting pool on when you would get together, and who would top," Kono grinned.

"Oh god!" Danny groaned dropping his head onto Steve's arm.

"Who would to...you bet on who would top?!" Steve spluttered.

"Of course you guys left it long enough that there were all sorts of different things we could bet on when you finally got together," Chin nodded.

"Speaking of, there are a few details that we need to know to settle some of the other pools if you wouldn't mind?" Kono smirked.

Ok, and we are out of here, we are going to pick something up for Grace and will be back if there is a case, or when it has been long enough for you to grow bored!" Danny ranted grabbing Steve and storming off.

"Never going to happen Brah!" Chin laughed.

"Come on! How far along the indecent exposure were you!?" Kono shouted after them.

"Nope!"

"Oh come on! I need to know to beat the Governor! Please tell me lube was involved!" Kono and Chin laughed as Danny walked into the door at the yell and was guided through properly by a very very very red eared Steve.